Portland Left Scrambling as Splitter Heads to Chicago

The Portland Trail Blazers were alerted Monday night that they will be hiring a third coach in three seasons, after Tiago Splitter finalized terms to become the Chicago Bulls' head coach. The move is expected to accelerate Portland’s search for a replacement, with the team now seen as lagging behind while Chicago moved quickly.

According to the report, owner Tom Dundon has been preoccupied with his NHL hockey team’s run to the championship, which it won Monday, and is expected to now focus fully on the Blazers. For now, Portland’s list of candidates has narrowed to two names, Tyler Lashbrook, an unheralded Boston assistant, and Micah Nori, who is regarded as the leading candidate. The team does not hold a first-round draft pick, but it could still enter free agency on July 1 without a coach.

The article said Dundon has not yet met any candidate in person. It quoted local reporting that “everything revolved around the title race of his hockey team,” and that even when general manager Joe Cronin flew to Las Vegas to meet him, Dundon simply did not show up. “Portland’s business was frozen, nothing is happening there,” the report said, adding that Chicago “stole Splitter from under Portland’s nose” and was prepared to pay much more.

Oregon Live also criticized Portland for letting Splitter go, arguing that if he was not the right fit, “who is?” The outlet noted that he earned the right to continue after turning Deni Avdija into an All-Star and said it feels as if Portland does not value coaches. Meanwhile, Robert Williams and Matisse Thybulle, two of the team’s key playoff players, are out of contract and can formally negotiate new deals, though the team is likely to wait for a coaching hire first.