Blazers Notes: Dundon, Arena Renovation, Cronin, Splitter, Roster
After officially taking over as the Trail Blazers‘ majority owner last week, Tom Dundon didn’t exactly offer a full-throated vow to keep the team in Portland long-term. Dundon’s ambiguous remarks at his introductory press conference and in interviews with local media left Jason Quick of The Athletic wary about the new owner’s long-term plans. Explaining that he hasn’t gotten the sense that Dundon has much attachment to the city, Quick notes that Dundon responded to a question about why he bought the Blazers by suggesting it was the only NBA team for sale.
Still, as Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report (Substack link) observes, Dundon’s unwillingness to unequivocally commit to Portland may have been about preserving some leverage in negotiations with the city government as the franchise seeks the public funding necessary to complete a $600MM renovation project on the Moda Center.
Blazers alternative governor Sheel Tyle, the only member of the new ownership group who resides in Portland, was essentially playing “good cop” to Dundon’s “bad cop” at that introductory presser, Highkin observes. Tyle stated in plainer terms that relocation isn’t something the group is considering.
“Tom would not have asked me to join this group had that been on the table,” Tyle told reporters, including Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. “And so I just want you guys to know, we’re optimistic people. We met with the mayor (on Thursday). We know that the state has done some amazing work (on funding an arena renovation). We’re full-speed ahead.”
For what it’s worth, when Bill Oram of The Oregonian (subscription required) asked Dundon if securing the necessary public funding from the city and Multnomah County would take the idea of relocation off the table, he replied, “Of course.”
Here’s more from the new Blazers’ owner:
- Speaking to Freeman of The Oregonian (subscription required), Dundon said that he’ll be “looking at everything” and that he has high expectations for every area of the organization, but he stressed that he doesn’t want to make changes for the sake of change. “I seek out improvement,” he said. “The first thing I’m going to do is give the people there a chance to see if they can go at my pace.” To that end, he said he views the job statuses of general manager Joe Cronin and team president Dewayne Hankins as “solid.”
- With head coach Chauncey Billups on indefinite leave after being arrested on money laundering and wire fraud conspiracy charges, interim coach Tiago Splitter will have a chance to earn the permanent job, but Dundon acknowledged that he’ll likely consider other candidates as well. “If we go win the championship, (Splitter) probably puts himself in a pretty good spot,” Dundon told Freeman. “I’d love to keep everybody. It’s way easier than making changes. Reaching in the mystery box isn’t always the best thing. There’s no guarantee the next person is going to be better than the one you’ve got. I just want to maximize our probability of winning.”
- Dundon stressed in his conversations with Freeman, Oram, Quick, and other local media members that he wants to turn the Blazers into a team capable of contending for titles. With that in mind, he’ll be interested in finding a way to add more star power to Portland’s roster. “I think our plan is to work hard to make good decisions,” Dundon told reporters when asked if he wants to make a big splash this offseason. “Joe had a deal that he looked at at the trade deadline that I was aware of that would have been what you would describe as a big splash. And if that opportunity exists, I’m probably more aggressive than most. If it doesn’t exist, then you’ve got to go about finding the pieces to continue to get better, and then decide if you can do good enough to win a championship or you have to take a step back. Joe and I have talked about this a lot. There’s no one way this is going to go for sure. If we get a star, we have a chance to win. If we can’t find a star, then we’ve got to add some pieces and hope some things develop. And if that doesn’t work, then we’ve got to try again with a new plan and I think there’s equal chances for all those things to happen.”
- Dundon spoke privately last week with Deni Avdija, Donovan Clingan, Jrue Holiday, and Damian Lillard last week and met briefly with the entire team — he came away with the impression that the Blazers’ players are eager to push forward next season, per Freeman. “What stuck out is, they want to win, they know there’s more here,” Dundon said. “They’re very confident in their team. They think there’s a lot of talent and that it’s kind of ready for that next step. I think everybody wants it to be just a little more demanding, a little more structured, a little higher expectations.”
Stein’s Latest: Rivers, Karnisovas, Donovan, Splitter
Bucks coach Doc Rivers will become a Hall-of-Famer this year, and there may be more news coming from him in the months ahead. According to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link), there is a growing sense that Rivers and the Bucks could either part ways or change his responsibilities after a season that has gone off the rails. Milwaukee has a 31-47 record and the franchise appears to be growing increasingly at odds with star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
While Stein doesn’t specify what such a restructuring would look like, the implication is that it could include a move to the front office.
“At the very least, Rivers’ Springfield induction in August, at age 64, has helped fuel the notion that he will not be coaching the Bucks after the regular season concludes,” Stein writes.
Jake Fischer, also of the Stein Line, agrees (via Twitter) that significant changes are expected in Milwaukee this offseason, while Stein adds that former Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins is seen as a potential candidate to replace Rivers should the Bucks decide to move on this summer.
We have more updates from Stein:
- The Bulls may be weighing the future of executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas, as the team will miss the playoffs for a fourth straight season. Chicago has advanced beyond the play-in just once during Karnisovas’ tenure, and that playoff appearance resulted in a quick first-round exit in 2022 against the Bucks. The Bulls’ front office under Karnisovas has also struggled to find a direction or extract peak value in trades. Meetings to determine the veteran executive’s future with the team will be taking place soon, per Stein.
- Despite their front office uncertainty, the Bulls would like to retain head coach Billy Donovan, Stein writes, noting that the team denied the Knicks’ request to interview him for their head coaching vacancy last summer before signing him to a multiyear extension. Donovan has recently been linked to the UNC head coaching job, but Stein writes that the Bulls’ coach will likely want to wait until after the season concludes on April 12 to meet with the Tar Heels, and the university may want to make a decision sooner than that.
- The Trail Blazers may be one of the teams looking for a new coach this offseason. New owner Tom Dundon is said to be surveying the coaching landscape as he determines interim head coach Tiago Splitter‘s future with the team. According to Stein, there’s an expectation that there could be more league-wide coaching movement than there was last year, and Splitter, who took over at the beginning of the season following the arrest of Chauncey Billups, may be one of the coaches on the move.
Northwest Notes: Joe, Wiggins, Blazers, Timberwolves
Isaiah Joe is back in action tonight for the Thunder after missing four games due to a bruised left knee. Alex Caruso said that Joe’s presence provides optimal spacing of the floor, Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman tweets.
Joe is averaging 12.9 points per game, with most of them coming from beyond the arc. He’s attempting 6.9 three-point shots per game and making 41.9% of them.
“He’s the anomaly for our team with spacing rules and cutting and moving stuff,” Caruso said. “He’s the one guy we tell to stand a couple feet behind the line and space the floor as far away from the basket as you can because he carries that threat.”
Here’s more from the Northwest Division:
- Aaron Wiggins is also averaging better than 41% on his three-point tries for the Thunder this season. Wiggins has filled up the stat sheet, averaging a career-best 12.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 24.2 minutes per game. “He’s a guy who has mastered our system over time on both ends of the floor,” coach Mark Daigneault told Martinez. “He’s just a system monster. He’s finding different ways to impact the game. … He’s an impressive person from that standpoint. He can wear a lot of different masks.”
- Interim Trail Blazers coach Tiago Splitter has come up with a novel way of motivating his players to excel on the defensive end, according to Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. They have started a new post-game ritual that recognizes defensive prowess. After each win, the Blazers’ coaching staff will select a player they deem to be the “best defender of the night,” and that player will write his name on a piece of paper and slide it into a small wooden box. At the end of the season, the players with the most entries will win a to-be-determined prize. “I wanted to do something for the group, (offer) a little reward for a good defensive day,” Splitter said.
- The Timberwolves haven’t played like an elite Western Conference team this season, Chris Hine of the Star Tribune opines. A case in point was their home loss to Memphis on Wednesday. “Our offensive decision-making was awful,” head coach Chris Finch said. “From shot selection to turnovers to execution it was just not very good.” The Wolves will get a chance to show they can still compete at that previous level on Friday when they face the Thunder, who defeated them 113-105 in late November.
Trail Blazers Notes: Billups, Dundon, Clingan, Avdija
Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, who was placed on unpaid leave by the NBA following his October 23 arrest on federal charges related to gambling, has reached an agreement to sell his home in Oregon, according to Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (subscription required). A listing on Redfin states that the seller has accepted an offer on the Lake Oswego property, which had a $4.275MM list price.
Highkin suggests that the pending sale could be a sign that Billups has accepted that he no longer has a coaching future with the team, even if he’s acquitted on the charges he’s facing. Billups’ next court appearance isn’t until March 4, and the judge in the case has indicated that the trial won’t start until September. Tiago Splitter has been serving as interim coach since Billups was arrested.
Highkin states that Blazers officials may wait until the sale of the team to Tom Dundon‘s group becomes official before they announce a final decision on Billups. He adds that the team’s performance under Splitter for the rest of the season will help determine if the new ownership group decides to remove the interim tag and keep him in place or start fresh with a new coaching staff.
Billups is among 31 defendants in a case involving illegal poker games connected to the mafia that were allegedly rigged through the use of doctored shuffling machines, marked cards and tables with built-in X-ray machines. He’s accused of being a “face card” whose reputation helped to attract big-money players to the games, and he could face up to 20 years in prison for each of two charges if convicted.
There’s more from Portland:
- Dundon is nearing an agreement to sell a limited partner stake in the Carolina Hurricanes as he gets set to take over the Trail Blazers, multiple sources tell Mike Ozanian of CNBC (Twitter link). The NHL team is being valued at $2 billion in the deal, according to Ozanian, while Dundon is buying the Blazers for more than $4 billion.
- Donovan Clingan missed Friday’s game at Detroit with a contusion on his lower left leg and is listed as questionable for Sunday’s contest in Memphis, Highkin tweets. First-round pick Yang Hansen was recalled from the G League in case Clingan is unavailable.
- Deni Avdija‘s 35-point performance on Friday made him the highest-scoring Israeli player in NBA history, per Ethan Rubinson and Toi Staff of The Times of Israel. Avdija has 4,648 career points, six more than Omri Casspi.
Blazers Notes: Williams, Splitter, Avdija, Holiday
Trail Blazers center Robert Williams was assigned to the G League’s Rip City Remix for conditioning purposes, the team’s PR department tweets. Williams is working his way back from a knee injury.
Health issues have limited Williams to 26 total outings since he was traded to Portland two years ago. He underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee back in March.
Williams will try to work his way into the rotation upon his return. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent after the season and could be a valuable trade piece prior to this year’s deadline.
We have more on the Trail Blazers:
- Interim coach Tiago Splitter is the first Brazilian-born head coach in NBA history. It’s a matter of pride for Splitter, who has replaced Chauncey Billups after Billups was shockingly arrested by the FBI following the team’s season opener. and placed on indefinite leave by the league. “It’s an honor, to be honest,” Splitter said, per Kurt Helin of NBC Sports. “You know, coming from Brazil is really, you know, a soccer country where basketball is growing, but it’s not there yet. And a lot of people follow me in Brazil and proud of just this accomplishment.”
- The Blazers have gone 2-1 since Splitter took over, including a 14-point win over the Lakers on Monday. Deni Avdija has led the team in scoring in all three games. “He knows how to talk to us. He knows how to prepare us,” Avdija said of Splitter, per Mark Medina of RG.org. “His basketball knowledge is very good. Other than that, I don’t want to get into that (the coaching situation) too much.”
- The team’s scoring limitations will define its ceiling, according to Sean Highkin of The Rose Garden Report. The Blazers shot 37% in a loss to the Clippers but bounced back to knock down 45.6% of their shots against the Lakers. They’re shooting 33.8 percent from deep and that could be a season-long issue. “I think our offense will definitely catch up to our defense,” Jrue Holiday said. “There’s been times where we get a bit stagnant, but it could be because we’re playing so hard on the defensive end. But I really enjoy our offense. The way we move the ball, the way we get each other involved, it’s not just one person doing everything. Everybody gets involved. That’s how I like my basketball.”
- Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) examines Shaedon Sharpe‘s four-year extension as well as Toumani Camara‘s four-year extension and what moves the front office might have in store in the near future, including a potential extension for Avdija.
Blazers Notes: Splitter, Billups, Bjorkgren, Lue
Tiago Splitter has been thrust into the NBA spotlight, taking over the Trail Blazers’ head coaching duties on an interim basis with Chauncey Billups on indefinite leave. The circumstances in which Splitter suddenly became the head coach were far from ideal, he told Joe Freeman of The Oregonian and other media members.
“Honestly, a tough moment. But I’ve got to do my job,” he said. “I’ve been in this position in a different level. But also, in a way, looking forward to show my skills and lead a team. So that was a positive part of it.”
Here’s more on the Blazers:
- Lead assistant coach Nate Bjorkgren had previous head coaching experience but Bjorkgren told general manager Joe Cronin that Splitter was the best choice to take over, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN reports. Bjorkgren felt he could best help the team in his current role, running the defense, Shelburne adds.
- In Splitter’s head coaching debut, Portland blew out Golden State, 139-119. “I would be embarrassed to sit here and blame fatigue when a team just came out and took it to us. It was about them and their great play,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said, per Shelburne. “This city is going to really enjoy watching the Blazers. They play hard. They have a real identity. They’re doing a really good job of rebuilding the franchise after the long run with Terry [Stotts] and Dame [Lillard] and CJ [McCollum]. It’s been a rough couple of years, but they’ve used that time wisely and built a really good roster.”
- Who are the candidates to replace Billups if he’s not exonerated? Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian (subscription required) looks at a dozen potential replacements, including James Borrego, Mike Budenholzer, and Sam Cassell, among others.
- Tyronn Lue has been close friends with Billups for many years. The Clippers head coach said Billups is in good spirits. “Chauncey is my best friend that had to go through something like this, the allegations, his family, my goddaughters,” Lue said, per Janis Carr of the Orange County Register. “So, it was a tough day and you never want to see any of your friends go through anything like that.” Lue spoke with Billups on Thursday night. “Just to hear his voice saying that he’s OK, (I could tell) he’s good,” Lue said. “I could tell in his voice if it’s not really good, so he feels good. And that’s all I wanted to make sure of.”
- That flies in the face of Billups’ demeanor in court — emotionless with a hollow look in his eyes, Jason Quick of The Athletic writes. Billups is normally positive and forthright — one of the most popular former players and current coaches in the league — which makes the allegations against him even more shocking, Quick notes.
Tiago Splitter Takes Over As Blazers’ Head Coach
1:52 pm: The Trail Blazers have confirmed that Splitter will be their interim head coach, issuing the following statement:
“We are aware of the allegations involving head coach Chauncey Billups, and the Trail Blazers are fully cooperating with the investigation. Billups has been placed on immediate leave, and Tiago Splitter will assume head coaching duties in the interim. Any further questions should be directed to the NBA.”
12:06 pm: First-year Trail Blazers assistant Tiago Splitter will assume head coaching duties in Portland on an interim basis following Chauncey Billups‘ arrest on Thursday, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
Billups is reportedly being charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering after being accused of participating in an illegal, mafia-run operation to rig illegal poker games.
Billups was described by law enforcement officials as one of the celebrity “face cards” that organizers used to attract “fish” (potential victims) to the games. He was placed on immediate leave by the NBA on Thursday.
Assistant coach Nate Bjorkgren, formerly the head coach of the Pacers, looked like the top candidate to take over as Portland’s acting head coach, as he did last season when Billups briefly left the team for family reasons. However, according to Charania, while Bjorkgren received strong consideration for the position, he decided it was best for him to remain in his current role.
Splitter is in his first season working under Billups, but he has several years of experience as an NBA assistant, having worked in Brooklyn from 2019-23 and Houston in 2023/24, Charania notes (Twitter link). Splitter was also the head coach of Paris Basketball last season and led the club to its first championship in France’s top league (LNB Élite).
Before becoming a coach, Splitter played in the NBA for seven seasons, including five with the Spurs. The former forward/center won a title in San Antonio in 2014.
Splitter’s first game as Portland’s head coach will come on Friday when the Blazers host Golden State.
Splitter, St. Andrews, Crawford Join Blazers’ Coaching Staff
The Trail Blazers have officially named Tiago Splitter, Patrick St. Andrews and Quinton Crawford as assistants on Chauncey Billups’ staff, the team announced today in a press release.
Splitter joins the Trail Blazers after leading the Paris Basketball Club to a French Basketball Cup championship and into the EuroLeague playoffs as the team’s head coach. Previously, Splitter served as an assistant coach for the Rockets during the 2023/24 season and spent the five seasons prior with the Nets.
St. Andrews has been an assistant coach with the Grizzlies for the last two seasons. Prior to arriving in Memphis, St. Andrews spent five seasons on the Bucks’ staff.
Crawford comes to Portland after leading the NBA G League Stockton Kings to a championship in his first season as their head coach. He was an assistant with the Suns in 2023/24 after spending one season with the Mavericks and three seasons with the Lakers.
News that Splitter and St. Andrews were joining the staff broke over the weekend, while Crawford’s agreement with the team was first reported in May.
Additionally, Leron Black has been hired as a player development coach. Black has served as an assistant coach and director of video for the Rip City Remix, Portland’s G League affiliate.
Mark Tyndale will not be retained on Billups’ staff, according to Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian.
Trail Blazers Adding Splitter, St. Andrews To Coaching Staff
Tiago Splitter and Patrick St. Andrews are joining the Trail Blazers‘ coaching staff as assistants to Chauncey Billups, multiple sources tell Danny Marang of 1080 The Fan in Portland (Twitter link). Splitter’s return to the NBA was first reported by international basketball writer Chema de Lucas (Twitter link).
After retiring as a player, Splitter began his coaching career in 2019, spending four seasons as an assistant with Brooklyn and one with Houston before being named head coach of Paris Basketball last summer. He also serves as an assistant with the Brazilian national team.
St. Andrews is a former assistant in Memphis who lost his job when Taylor Jenkins was fired in late March. St. Andrews became an assistant with Atlanta in 2017, then spent five years in Milwaukee before joining the Grizzlies. He was one of just two assistants who were retained when Jenkins’ coaching staff was revamped last summer.
Splitter and St. Andrews will reportedly be joining Kings G League coach Quinton Crawford, who was rumored last week to be an upcoming addition to Billups’ staff.
International Notes: Porter, Nnaji, Splitter, Parker, Nunn
A federal judge has denied Jontay Porter‘s request to play for for Promitheas B.C. in Greece during the 2024/25 season, according to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.
Porter, who was permanently banned from the NBA in April for violating the league’s gambling rules, pleaded guilty last week to a felony charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. His sentencing is scheduled for December 18 and he faces the possibility of 41-51 months in prison, based on sentencing guidelines.
The former Raptor had to forfeit his passport under the conditions of his pre-sentence release. He and his lawyers had filed a motion asking to modify the terms of his release to have the passport returned to him so that he could travel to and around Europe, live in Greece, and play professional basketball in the Greek League.
“The proposed modification would allow Mr. Porter to pursue a very fortunate — and quickly diminishing — opportunity to earn income through his primary skillset,” Porter’s lawyer Jeff Jensen wrote. “Mr. Porter, and more importantly his agent, believe such an opportunity is unlikely to arise again. As you may know, Mr. Porter was recently banned from the National Basketball Association.
“Mr. Porter’s primary skillset and means of earning a living involve playing professional basketball. He left college early in 2020 to enter the NBA Draft and has not yet finished earning credits towards his college degree. Since being banned from the NBA there have been no other opportunities available to continue his basketball career. Mr. Porter has a limited window to earn an income through professional basketball during his prime earning years as a professional athlete.”
Both Jensen and a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York declined to comment after the motion was denied, per Vorkunov.
Here’s more from around the international basketball world:
- Nigerian center James Nnaji, the No. 31 pick in the 2023 draft, had hoped to make the leap to the NBA this offseason after playing in Spain in 2023/24, according to Jose Ignacio Huguet of Mundo Deportivo (hat tip to Sportando). However, those plans changed when Nnaji underwent back surgery this spring, rendering him unavailable for Summer League play and ensuring that he’s not in the Hornets‘ short-term plans. As a result, Nnaji will remain with Barcelona for at least one more season, per Mundo Deportivo’s reporting.
- Former NBA big man Tiago Splitter has been named the new head coach of Paris Basketball, the French team announced this week (via Twitter). Splitter, who played in the league from 2010-17 (primarily for the Spurs), became an NBA assistant coach in 2019. He spent four years on Brooklyn’s staff, then was an assistant under Rockets head coach Ime Udoka in 2023/24.
- Neither Jabari Parker (Barcelona) nor Kendrick Nunn (Panathinaikos) exercised the NBA exit clause in his contract, according to reports from Mundo Deportivo (hat tip to Sportando) and BasketNews.com. With those opt-out deadlines now passed, Parker and Nunn – both former NBA players – are expected to remain with their respective teams in Europe for the 2024/25 season.