Late Wednesday night, I wrote about new Portland Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts' biggest coaching regret: an inconsequential 2004 double-overtime game between the Atlanta Hawks and Memphis Grizzlies.
Kelly Dwyer of Yahoo! Sports reacts to Stotts' story and concludes that his basketball obsession makes him a great fit in Portland.
Bringing up a blown possession in a meaningless (even then) contest from eight and a half years ago? Yes, this is what will win the hearts of those who obsess over both teams and sites all about hoops deep into the NBA's dead offseason. We're not being snarky. That's something to get the punters on your side.
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Stotts could fall flat, and the hire could be a favor (he and new Portland GM Neil Olshey share an agent) gone wrong. Things might not work out in Portland. He could be a lifelong assistant. The reputation, in spite of the bum moves made by his GMs in Milwaukee and Atlanta, might be earned.
His work on Wednesday, though, was on point. Talking to a local journalist, writing for a site designed for obsessive fans, Stotts came off as someone who cares to a ridiculous degree. True, it might be better to have loftier regrets (a misstep in the NBA Finals, perhaps), but meeting a coach who cares to a ridiculous degree is every fan's dream.
And Portland, forever weird, loves the obscure find. Stotts will fit right in.
-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter