Jason Burgos
A new report suggests the Portland Trail Blazers might have trouble filling out the staff under new head coach Micah Nori with the best people possible because of the terrible reputation their owner has developed in the industry.
When Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon finalized his purchase of the Trail Blazers in March, there was a lot of hope that Portland could be a new force in the west, with the Dallas-based billionaire backing them. However, fans and NBA analysts quickly discovered the opposite when it comes to Dundon’s spending.
Various stories have emerged about his cost-cutting measures, like not having two-way players travel with the team during the playoffs, layoffs inside the organization, and reports of trying to get a new head coach on the cheap. Well, this week, Dundon found his next coach via a budget-friendly deal with Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori.
Nori’s deal reportedly has only one guaranteed year and includes team options for years two and three. Furthermore, sources told ESPN that the contract has a sliding-scale salary based on incentives and team success. The deal received a lot of blowback around the league, including National Basketball Coaches Association president and Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
“I feel like he was put in a situation that he shouldn’t be put in, with having to make a choice of this nature because of the structure of what the contract is,” Bickerstaff told ESPN this week. “It’s unfortunate that you have a dream, and from our perspective, it’s like someone’s taking advantage of your dream and devaluing what we feel like coaches have earned over the years.
“You think about the sacrifice, the time, the growth that coaches have helped and done with the NBA, and then for someone to come in and attempt to devalue the work that coaches have in this league is extremely disappointing.”
NBA coaches ‘irate’ with Micah Nori’s Portland Trail Blazers contract
The reputation Dundon has quickly developed around the NBA, which includes moving on from Tiago Splitter after doing a really good job in his lone season as head coach, could make filling Nori’s staff with the best possible assistants difficult.
“I talked to several coaches who were absolutely irate about the circumstances, specifically the structure of this contract,” Tim McMahon reported on Friday. “This is Tom Dundon’s work. This is that Stanley Cup-winning, Dallas-based billionaire who, in his brief time in the NBA, has been notoriously cheap, frugal, doesn’t travel two-way guys for the playoffs, has had layoffs, and no late checkout.”
Dundon continues to make the Trail Blazers rise into a perennial playoff contender much harder than it needs to be.
