It remains to be seen what the Portland Trail Blazers will do with interim head coach Tiago Splitter after the season concludes. He's done a serviceable job after being thrown into the fire as a result of unprecedented circumstances, with Chauncey Billups departure just one game into the season.
At the same time, Portland's new owner, Tom Dundon, is taking a hands-on approach towards this franchise. This raises the question: will Dundon's arrival affect only the roster, or will he want to reset the entire infrastructure from the top of the organization down?
Will Tom Dundon decide to clean house in Portland?
Coaching carousel talks have been heating up with the offseason approaching. NBA insider Jake Fischer provided an update on The Stein Line about how Portland is approaching it, noting that they've had contract-extension talks with Splitter (subscription required).
Are the extension talks a courtesy, or do they genuinely want him to coach this team next season?
"Yet as Stein noted Sunday, new Blazers owner Tom Dundon is already taking a rather hands-on role in casting a wide net for potential options to succeed Billups in the event Splitter is not retained beyond this season. Word is Portland has even considered college coaches for the position."
When it comes to the coaching search, Dundon has previously stated that he's more likely to prioritize talent rather than "paying for the resume." We've seen that same trend around the league, with relatively inexperienced yet innovative coaches having success. A college coach would certainly fit that mold, should Portland ultimately decide to go in that direction. It's also why they likely weren't going to pursue Michael Malone, even before the news that he took the job at North Carolina.
Dundon's mindset could potentially work in Splitter's favor, given his lack of NBA experience. But I'd argue there are better coaches out there for this Blazers roster to get them where they are trying to go. Dundon could easily come to that same conclusion, seeing that he's already searching for replacements.
Tiago Splitter isn't the only one on thin ice
Splitter isn't the only one whose job is potentially in jeopardy. Fischer adds that there are question marks surrounding Portland's front office.
"Sources say that there are question marks, too, about the Blazers' front office going forward after assistant general managers Sergi Oliva and Mike Schmitz were each just suspended for two weeks without pay for making what the NBA deemed illegal contact with rookie big man Hansen Yang two years before he was draft-eligible."
The NBA gave Portland a slap on the wrist, fining them $100,000 while suspending assistant general managers Mike Schmitz and Sergi Oliva for two weeks. That's not much money for an NBA franchise, and it wasn't even the general manager, Joe Cronin, who was suspended.
Understandably, Dundon would decide to reevaluate the front office, as he had done a similar approach after taking over the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes. That said, the Yang Hansen scouting incident shouldn't factor into that decision at all. Maybe the actual Hansen pick itself, but not this minor self-reported incident.
Overall, it's great that Dundon is already taking that hands-on approach that led to the Hurricanes' successful turnaround. He should also get a lot more information in the coming weeks after seeing how Portland fares in the Play-In Tournament.