Maka Nouri Shrugs Off Contract Criticism as He Takes Over in Portland

Portland Trail Blazers coach Maika Nouri addressed the controversy around his unusual contract for the first time after being formally introduced overnight between Thursday and Friday. The deal gives him just one guaranteed year, with team options for the following two seasons, a structure that drew criticism around the NBA, including from Detroit coach and NBA Coaches Association president J.B. Bickerstaff, who called it “a slap in the face to our value.”

Nouri, 52, said he was not bothered by the outside noise. “I’m a humble person, and I really don’t care,” he said. “It’s not about me, honestly. I don’t care about the noise from the outside. I know who I am as a coach, I know who is standing beside me and supporting me, who is in front of me, the players and the coaches, and I have the tools to succeed. That is all that matters to me.”

The former Minnesota assistant, who spent the past five seasons as Chris Finch’s top aide, said he is essentially betting on himself. He noted that for much of his 28-year coaching career, including the first 25 years, he did not even have an agent, and that he has repeatedly come close to head-coaching jobs but finished second. “In five interviews they told me, ‘Maika, you were our number two. You were phenomenal, but the other candidate already has head-coaching experience. We have never seen you in that chair,’” he said.

Blazers general manager Joe Cronin defended the hire, saying Portland got the coach it wanted and that both sides “agreed to take a risk on each other.” Nouri is taking over a different kind of first-year job, because Portland reached the playoffs last season for the first time in five years. He will try to build on that momentum with a roster led by Danny Avedia, alongside Damian Lillard, Donovan Clingan, Toumani Camara and others. Nouri said he feels fortunate to inherit a playoff team, and predicted the contract debate will quickly fade. “Next week nobody will be talking about this press conference,” he said. “What will interest everyone is what we do on the court.”