The Portland Trail Blazers were eliminated from the second round of the NBA Playoffs just yesterday after losing to the reigning NBA championship in 5 games. Despite only winning 1 game, this Blazers team showed that they are on their way to becoming a contender in the league, led by their backcourt of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum and Head Coach Terry Stotts.
Not so long ago, everyone was counting out the Blazers, including myself. After losing 4 of their starters to free agency, including LaMarcus Aldridge and Wesley Matthews, but Stotts and company quickly changed that perception. Under the coaching of Terry Stotts, the Trail Blazers finished as the 5th seed in the Western Conference finishing with a 44-38 record for the 2015-2016 season. They pulled an upset against the Los Angeles Clippers in 6 games in the 1st round, after the Clippers lost Chris Paul and Blake Griffin and showed resilience against the champion Golden State Warriors. As a result of his very successful tenure with the Blazers, Terry Stotts will be getting a contract extension. According to Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN (Via Marc Stein):
Report from our own @kevinarnovitz: With season now over, Blazer management and Terry Stotts will soon discuss contract extension for Stotts
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) May 12, 2016
The Blazers introduced themselves to the world stage against the Warriors. Despite losing in 5 games, there is a lot of hype around the Blazers right now, attracting a lot of free agency attention. Who doesn’t want to play for a hardworking team led by all-star Damian Lillard and Most Improved Player Of The Year, C.J. McCollum. With Stotts set to return for the Blazers, and the young core in tact, the future is bright. There have been a number of free agents that have been tied to the Blazers including Dwight Howard, Al Horford, or any big man who would be willing to help the backcourt. All that being said, the Blazers have nowhere to go but up.
