Blazers to Announce New Coach in Tuesday Press Conference

The Trail Blazers are set to hold a press conference on Tuesday that will address the hiring of a new head coach. The Athletic’s Jason Quick explained that the Blazers have not announced who the coach will be, but all signs point to Clippers assistant coach Chauncey Billups.

The Trail Blazers have scheduled a noon press conference on Tuesday to announce their new head coach. The team is not saying who the coach is but all indications are that it will be Chauncey Billups.

The Blazers parted ways with long-time coach Terry Stotts at the conclusion of Portland’s 2021 postseason run. On Friday, several outlets reported that Billups is rumored to be the Blazers’ new coach.

In 2000, Billups settled a civil lawsuit stemming from a 1997 incident in which a woman said she was sexually assaulted by Billups and other Boston Celtics players at the time. No criminal charges were filed. Police reports published in the book “Out of Bounds” by Jeff Benedict, summarized here and here [trigger warning for graphic descriptions], detail the narrative and aftermath.

Billups’ NBA coaching experience consists of a single-season stint as the Clippers’ lead assistant. Head Coach Tyronn Lue’s coaching staff also included Associate Head Coach Dan Craig and assistants Kenny Atkinson, Larry Drew and Roy Rogers. The Clippers’ 2020-21 roster features the All-Star tandem of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

The Suns currently hold a 3-1 lead over the Clippers. Game 5 of that series is scheduled for Monday.