Portland Trail Blazer appoint Terry Stotts as their new head coach – NBA Update
On Tuesday, the Portland Trail Blazers ended their search for a new head coach by announcing the appointment of Terry Stotts for next season.
Stotts will be taking over the reins of the organization from interim head coach, Kaleb Canales, who was the other major contender for the position.
The Trail Blazers are satisfied with the appointment of Stotts and expect him to have a successful tenure with the organization;
"Terry is one of the elite offensive minds in the NBA, has extensive experience with multiple organizations and was instrumental in the Dallas Mavericks winning the 2011 NBA championship," – General Manager Neil Olshey said at
the occasion.
"He understands the vision for the future of the franchise, appreciates the process involved and will create an environment on the court that will produce championship habits."
Stotts had served as an assistant coach to Rick Carlisle with the Dallas Mavericks for the past four seasons and also has his fair share of experience of working as a head coach in the NBA. He had previously worked as a head coach
with the Atlanta Hawks and the Milwaukee Bucks and before heading over to Dallas, he held a win-loss record of 115-168.
Stotts is expected to help the Blazers get out of the NBA middle ground - somewhere they have been stuck for the past few seasons.
"I'm very pleased to be part of a great franchise in a beautiful city with a such a proud history," Stotts said. "I look forward to working hard with Neil and our players toward the ultimate goal of bringing another championship
to Portland."
Stotts has a young team at his disposal, one which is expected to be led by LaMarcus Aldridge. The All-Star forward was exceptional last season, but could not complete it due to injury issues. The Trail Blazers have also retained
French small forward Nicolas Batum and also have two high picks in this year’s draft at their disposal. It will be up to Stotts now, to develop a formidable team from the resources available at the franchise, which has started its process of rebuilding at
a fast pace.
Tags: