The Portland Trail Blazers are hiring Minnesota Timberwolves lead assistant Micah Nori as their next head coach, ESPN's Shams Charania reported Tuesday morning. This was the first official move of the Tom Dundon era, and it's safe to say Portland hit the mark.
Overall, Dundon has had a rocky adjustment to the NBA, to put it gently. The Blazers made headlines for all the wrong reasons, particularly their controversial cost-cutting measures. Fortunately, the rumored low-ball offers and a delayed interview process as a result of Dundon's Carolina Hurricanes playing in the Stanley Cup didn't ultimately cost Portland, as Nori should've been the top candidate all along.
The Blazers were fortunate to land Micah Nori
Portland may have benefited from Dusty May's leap from Michigan to the NBA, recently accepting the head coaching position with the Dallas Mavericks. Nori was also a finalist with the Mavericks, and May's hiring took away the Blazers' direct competition.
Portland certainly caught a break as its options continued to dwindle, especially after Tiago Splitter left to join the Chicago Bulls. Dundon needs to learn from this messy interview process that rubbed potential candidates the wrong way, including when they prematurely started the process with Splitter having this team back in the playoffs for the first time in five years.
Fortunately, they're still set to enter the 2026-27 season with an experienced head coach in Nori, who was arguably the best man for the job anyway.
Micah Nori was the right choice for Tom Dundon and Portland
With Splitter out of the picture, Portland's finalists came down to Nori, Boston's Tyler Lashbrook, and New York's Chris Jent, who was seemingly a late addition to the search. They ultimately went with Nori and his 17 years of NBA experience.
This may be Nori's first opportunity as a head coach, but he's gained a league-wide reputation given his basketball knowledge and ability to connect with players -- a void that Portland needed to fill after Splitter proving to be a players' coach. Some have hilariously even referred to Nori as the "Ted Lasso of the NBA."
It's safe to say the Blazers are in good hands, and though Dundon was off to a rough start in Portland, this could be just the move required to help right the ship.
Portland finally has a sense of direction after hiring Nori, which should give them more stability as they navigate an overall uncertain summer. With Damian Lillard's return and Nori's arrival, Portland is in a prime position to build off its recent playoff appearance and carry that momentum into next season.
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