Amick: Blazers Coach Terry Stotts to Avoid Hot Seat

The Trail Blazers, who produced a memorable run to the Western Conference Finals last season, are currently six games below .500 and outside of the postseason picture. Derailed by injuries and a rapidly shifting rotation, it appears that coach Terry Stotts’ job is safe even if Portland misses the NBA Playoffs.

On Tuesday, The Athletic’s Sam Amick explained that a source revealed that Stotts’ position as head coach should be safe. Prior to getting to the source, Amick outlined the Blazers’ chances of claiming a postseason berth.

So while CJ McCollum’s best efforts will be worth watching, and the help of Carmelo Anthony and Hassan Whiteside is not for nothing, it won’t likely be enough. If this comes down to a tiebreaker with New Orleans, the Pelicans hold it against Portland (they went 4-0 head-to-head this season).

A source with knowledge of coach Terry Stotts’ situation said there’s no reason to believe he’s in any danger this summer, regardless of how this turns out. He was given a contract extension through the 2021-22 season after Portland’s West Finals appearance last season.

The Blazers’ complete injury list from this season is overwhelming. Portland’s star-studded backcourt has endured injuries that triggered separate absences from the lineup. In the frontcourt; Zach Collins was featured in just three games before dislocating his shoulder, Jusuf Nurkic has yet to return to the court and Rodney Hood suffered a season-ending achilles injury in early December. That laundry-list of hurdles should keep Stotts away from the hot seat this summer.

In eight seasons at the helm, Stotts has recorded a regular season record of 351-281. The Blazers have qualified for the postseason in all but one of Stotts’ years in Portland.

You can read the full post from Amick at The Athletic (subscription required).