SAN ANTONIO — Interim Portland Trail Blazers coach Tiago Splitter said he is “just trying to be a pro” as reports circulate that new team owner Tom Dundon is reaching out to outside candidates for the job.
“I try to focus on my locker room and my staff,” Splitter told reporters Tuesday night before Portland edged the San Antonio Spurs 106-103 in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series. “Same way when I got the job and all the stuff that was going on.”
Coaching change and record
Splitter, elevated from assistant to interim coach the morning after Chauncey Billups was arrested by the FBI on money-laundering and wire-fraud charges tied to an alleged rigged high-stakes poker scheme, guided Portland to a 42-40 record and the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference. The postseason berth is the franchise’s first in five years.
Contract discussions
Sources told ESPN that Splitter received a raise when he took over and discussed a longer commitment during the season, but the salary offered was far below typical NBA head-coach levels. Both sides agreed to revisit negotiations after the season, the sources said.
Player support
Forward Deni Avdija, an All-Star and a finalist for the league’s Most Improved Player award, credited Splitter for the team’s progress. “He’s done phenomenal,” Avdija said after Tuesday’s victory. “He believes in each and every one of his players, and we love playing for him.”
Owner’s cost-cutting plans
The Oregonian reported last week that Dundon hopes to pay a head coach about $1 million per year—well below the NBA norm—as part of a strategy he used after acquiring the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes. The Rose Garden Report added that Portland did not take any two-way players on the road for the playoffs, a cost-saving move no other postseason team made.
NBA reporter Jake Fischer reported Dundon has already spoken with 15 to 20 potential coaching candidates, ranging from college leaders to NBA assistants. Additional ESPN reporting revealed the club has also reduced the number of complimentary tickets available to support staff for home playoff games.
Shielding the locker room
Splitter said he advised players before the play-in tournament to avoid social media and outside noise. “It’s not a time to be reading everything that is out there,” he noted.
The series, now tied 1-1, shifts to Portland for Game 3 on Friday.
Source: ESPN
