The Portland Trail Blazers promised to cast a wide net of options in their head coaching search, and they continue to do just that. Portland is progressing toward a decision, but surprising names keep popping up one after another.
Chris Haynes reported on Thursday that Los Angeles Clippers assistant Jeff Van Gundy emerged as a finalist for the Blazers' head coaching position.
Marc Stein then added more names to the finalist pot: interim head coach Tiago Splitter and Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori.
On Friday, two additional names surfaced on The Stein Line, with Jake Fischer reporting that Boston Celtics' Tyler Lashbrook and Utah Jazz's Mike Williams have also advanced to those final stages (subscription required).
Keeping track of the Blazers' coaching search
It's a lot of names to keep track of coming in from various sources, so here's an aggregated list of coaches known to have advanced in the process:
- Jeff Van Gundy, Los Angeles Clippers
- Tiago Splitter, Portland Trail Blazers
- Micah Nori, Minnesota Timberwolves
- Tyler Lashbrook, Boston Celtics
- Mike Williams, Utah Jazz
Stein mentions other coaches known or believed to be connected to the position, including Jared Dudley, Ben Sullivan, Steve Hetzel, Greg St. Jean, Jerry Stackhouse, D.J. MacLeay, Noah LaRoche, and Will Weaver.
One name we'd also like them to pursue is San Antonio's Sean Sweeney, though it's possible they've already spoken to him, as Stein adds that there are "other candidates whose identities have not yet been confirmed."
Will Tom Dundon beat the "cheap" allegations?
Two interesting developments across the NBA landscape that could affect Portland's search are the departures of Terry Stotts and Jason Kidd from Golden State and Dallas, respectively. Stotts publicly stated his desire for a Blazers reunion, having coached the team from 2012 to 2021. Meanwhile, Kidd was let go by the Mavericks under new President Masai Ujiri, potentially giving Portland another candidate to consider with head coaching experience.
Of course, the question surrounding Portland's coaching search is whether new owner Tom Dundon is truly willing to pay top dollar to hire the best candidate. There have been previous talks of low-ball offers, and the finalists for the position aren't helping his case.
The lone exception is Jeff Van Gundy, who Stein notes is one of the NBA's highest-paid assistants at around $3 million.
"There is naturally great curiosity regarding how much Dundon would be willing to offer in comparison to lure Van Gundy to the Pacific Northwest, given a longstanding leaguewide belief that he does not want to spend lavishly for his first head coach."
For what it's worth, GM Joe Cronin has previously said he isn't worried about Dundon being willing or able to hit a price point for the hire.
So far, Dundon's actions have been extremely frugal, most notably the firing of roughly 70 employees as part of his cost-cutting measures. The reputation surrounding Dundon from his time as the owner of the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes is that he's "cheap" until it's time to pay for the players.
I guess we'll find out how much he values coaching as part of that on-court product.
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