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Terry Stotts Talks with Adrian Wojnarowski on The Vertical Podcast

Coach Stotts talks about the Trail Blazers' recent run of success, coaching against Michael Jordan and Steph Curry, his time in the 1979 NCAA Tournament against Larry Bird, and the formative coaching years alongside George Karl in the CBA.

By Dan Marang
Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts appeared on Adrian Wojnarowski's "The Vertical" podcast , and gave what is sure to be his most in-depth interview in existence. If you aren't familiar with "Woj," beyond breaking news with #WojBombs, he also has this new stand alone at Yahoo Sports, "The Vertical." Aside from their features and news, they are focused on creating truly unique podcasts. This is from their site:

Adrian Wojnarowski, the most dominant force in NBA reporting, brings you inside the league with, the "Vertical Podcast." Woj is probing the biggest newsmakers in the sport - from the commissioner, to general managers, coaches and star players - to bring listeners inside the processes, personas and stories that impact the NBA. Beyond longer sit-down interviews in our New York studios, Woj will deliver real-time podcasts with league personnel built around breaking news.

Streaming and download links to the audio can be found in the tweet below:

Time Stamps & Topics

  • 3:04 - Does this group have a chip on their shoulders?
  • 4:39 - Does this team remind you of your first year in Portland?
  • 5:53 - Walking two lines, LaMarcus Aldridge's free agency
  • 7:55 - Title contention a scenario if Wesley Matthews isn't hurt?
  • 8:45 - What was the first thing you did with Aldridge when you got here?
  • 10:30 - Hallmark of you tenure- player development?
  • 13:00 - Early life in the CBA
  • 14:00 - CBA as a learning ground for coaches
  • 15:20 - Could you learn about yourself as a coach in the CBA?
  • 19:01 - Flip Saunders' passing and coaching fraternity
  • 21:30 - Too nice to win?
  • 24:30 - Getting the next (3rd) chance to be a head coach
  • 26:20 - Did you aspire to play for Bob Knight and IU
  • 27:15 - Growing up in Bloomington; now and then
  • 28:47 - Winning the Big 8 at Oklahoma
  • 29:29 - Playing Larry Bird in the NCAA Tournament
  • 32:34 - Leaving Oklahoma and a basketball career
  • 33:55 - Getting drafted in the 2nd round by the Rockets
  • 35:40 - Not going to camp with the Rockets, and playing in Europe
  • 36:21 - Working with George Karl in Seattle and comparing eras
  • 39:28 - Damian Lillard and comparing him to Stephen Curry
  • 40:40 - Analytics, video, and data boom for NBA teams
  • 42:31 - Preparing to play the greats: Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Curry
  • 44:25 - The challenge of utilizing analytics and tendencies
  • 50:20 - Coaching and the caveats of analytics
  • 52:48 - Managing the human element and team dynamics
  • 54:23 - The relationship between Stotts and the front office
  • 56:19 - Closing comments
H/T to occassia for catching this one real early!

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