Blazers Part Ways With Strength And Conditioning Coach Bob Medina

The Portland Trail Blazers confirmed to Blazersedge Tuesday that the organization has parted ways with longtime strength and conditioning coach Bob "Bobby" Medina, choosing not to renew his contract. Medina worked for the Blazers since 1997.

On Sunday, Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune reported that Medina was on his way out.

Word is that Bobby Medina, respected strength/conditioning coach for the Blazers over the past 16 years, will be the latest victim of the Olshey purge. Following that, I won't be surprised if scouting directors Chad Buchanan and Mike Born are the next to leave. If it happens, those are three great people the organization will sorely miss.

Here's Medina's bio from the 2012-13 media guide, published last fall.

Bob Medina finished his 15th season as the team's strength and conditioning coach in 2011-12. Before joining the Trail Blazers' staff at the start of the 1997-98 season, he served in a similar capacity with the Seattle SuperSonics for five years. Medina began his career in the strength and conditioning field at UNLV, serving for three years as a full-time assistant. From 1985 through 1988 he worked as an undergraduate assistant, developing athletes in all sports.

Medina has written articles for several publications for the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and, along with several members of the National Basketball Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association, has been a contributing author in the books Condition the NBA Way and NBA Power Conditioning. He has also helped with a third book and was a contributing author in Chicken Soup for the Basketball Lovers Soul.

Medina has a bachelor's degree in athletic training with a minor in health education from UNLV. He was inducted along with the 1990 UNLV National Champion Basketball Team into the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame in 2001. A hydration advocate, Medina works several camps and clinics throughout the summer as well as traveling to work out with the Trail Blazers players in their hometowns. Bob's greatest enjoyment is spending time with his wife, LeeAnn, and their family.

Here's a 2008 interview with Medina, who regularly hosted tours of the team's practice facility for fans over the years.

The Blazers also parted ways with trainer Jay Jensen after 19 years back in May, opting to release the news late on a Friday afternoon.

The Blazers hired Dr. Christopher Stackpole, 26, as director of player health and performance back in July. Stackpole, who holds a doctoral degree in Physical Theraphy, told Jason Quick of The Oregonian that he planned to evaluate the organization's staff upon his arrival.

The Blazers' press release indicated that Stackpole would "lead all facets of the Trail Blazers medical staff to collaboratively provide preventative maintenance and rehabilitative health care to Trail Blazers players" and that he would "work closely with the team's athletic trainers, physicians, strength and conditioning specialists, nutritionists, psychologists and therapeutic specialists to integrate rehabilitative concepts into performance training."

Longtime Blazers assistant coach Kaleb Canales left the organization to take an assistant coaching position with the Dallas Mavericks back in May. He was replaced by former Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach Nate Tibbetts. The Blazers also lost Idaho Stampede assistant coach Barry Rohrssen to the University of Pittsburgh back in May.

In addition to those basketball-side changes, the Blazers have executed three rounds of layoffs over the last year, the most recent coming back in May. The Blazers previously executed a round of executive layoffs back in December 2012 and followed that with a second round of layoffs in January.

The first round of layoffs followed the resignation of former COO Sarah Mensah in November 2012, the resignation of top lawyer, Mike Fennell in October 2012, the resignation of former president Larry Miller in July 2012, and the resignation of Senior VP J.E. Isaac in June 2011.

Back in April, the Blazers decided not to renew their agreement with AEG to manage the Rose Garden and opted to replace Ovations Food Services with Levy Restaurants as the facility's food and beverage service provider. AEG was then forced to officially lay off 900 Rose Quarter employees, however a Blazers spokesperson said that a "vast majority" would be hired back by the Blazers, who plan to self-operate the Rose Garden.

The Blazers also recently laid out plans for their revamped marketing and digital staff.

Photo via YouTube user LifeFitness

-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter