More likely than not, the Portland Trail Blazers will move on from Tiago Splitter as head coach this summer. New owner Tom Dundon is casting a wide net of options to find Splitter's potential replacement. It was first reported by NBA insider Marc Stein that Denver's Jared Dudley and Brooklyn's Steve Hetzel were two candidates for the position.
Now, two more names have been added to the list: Minnesota's Micah Nori and the Lakers' Greg St. Jean.
"League sources tell The Stein Line that the Blazers, meanwhile, have expressed interest in Minnesota assistant coach Micah Nori in addition to previously reported candidates Jared Dudley (Denver) and Hetzel … while Portland-based Sean Highkin reported recently that Lakers assistant coach Greg St. Jean is also on Portland's list."
Blazers continue expanding their coaching search
Portland is expected to explore options at the collegiate level as well, but so far, it's been NBA assistants. The New Orleans Pelicans recently hired Jamahl Mosley as their new head coach, taking one potential option off the board for the Blazers. However, that does bode well for their chances of landing Hetzel, who was also interviewing with the Pelicans.
Two other potential names to keep an eye on are San Antonio's Sean Sweeney and, surprisingly, former Blazers head coach Terry Stotts. Sweeney's defensive-minded approach would fit in well with the Blazers roster and identity. Stotts left the Golden State Warriors and has stated his interest in returning to Portland. It remains to be seen whether that interest is mutual, but it would be interesting to see Stotts and Damian Lillard reunited to have a chance to finish what they started with an objectively more talented roster.
Splitter has made a compelling case to stay after getting Portland back to the postseason. That said, Portland appears to be leaning toward taking this coaching search in another direction. If they do move on from the Brazilian big man, our top two choices as of now would be Hetzel or Sweeney.
One downside of casting such a wide net of options is that it runs the risk of top options landing elsewhere. Fortunately, that wasn't the case with Hetzel and New Orleans, but it should give Portland's front office an increased sense of urgency. While other teams around the league are narrowing their lists, the Blazers continue to expand theirs, with Nori and St. Jean the two latest additions.
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