The Portland Trail Blazers continue to make cuts to what was initially a wide head coaching search. On Thursday, NBA insider Jake Fischer reported on The Stein Line that Portland is now down to three head coaching finalists: Micah Nori (Minnesota), Tyler Lashbrook (Boston), and acting coach Tiago Splitter.
That makes Jeff Van Gundy (Clippers) and Mike Williams (Utah) the two candidates who didn't advance.
Fischer adds that the process could be delayed by the NHL Stanley Cup Final, with Tom Dundon's Carolina Hurricanes taking on the Vegas Golden Knights. Hopefully, that doesn't negatively impact their chances of landing their preferred candidate, with Splitter and Nori in particular receiving interview interest elsewhere around the league.
Of the three finalists, our preference is for Portland to stick with Splitter. He deserves a more permanent position after a successful first season in what was an unexpected audition.
Tiago Splitter had a successful audition this season
Portland lost head coach Chauncey Billups just one game into the season. They were also one of the most injury-riddled teams in the league, playing without a full roster until the very, very end of the season (with the exception of Damian Lillard).
This young team had every reason to make this an essentially lost season. They even had serious flaws in their roster construction, particularly their frustrating turnovers and lack of reliable floor spacing.
Yet under Splitter, Portland overcame all this adversity to finish above .500, resulting in the first playoff appearance of their rebuild.
With Lillard's return, a healthier roster overall, and an entire offseason to address those weaknesses, all signs point to the Blazers building on that momentum next season. Why take any unnecessary risk by changing a formula that has already proven to work?
Perhaps most importantly, the Blazers will have another year of growth and internal development from their up-and-coming young core. But what is often overlooked in these discussions is that coaches need time to grow and develop themselves.
"I'm still learning. I'm still a young coach," Splitter said at his exit interview. "I'm not saying I'm Phil Jackson. But I've gotten better as a coach for sure, from last summer."
Splitter wasn't perfect this season, but the proof of concept was certainly still there. Above all, he's a players' coach, which gives him a strong foundation to build off of. Portland needs to continue investing in that foundation by giving Splitter the head coaching role he deserves.
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