The Portland Trail Blazers are on the verge of yet another disappointing regular season, but that does not mean that Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups’ job is at stake.
Based on a recent report, the decision-makers in Portland have no plans to make a change at the head coaching spot.
“According to a high-ranking source inside the Trail Blazers, who spoke under the condition of anonymity in order to speak freely, the the idea of firing Billups ‘hasn’t even crossed our minds’ as Portland heads for an almost certain return to the lottery this summer, a direction once again hammered home Friday during a 126-112 loss to Boston,” Jason Quick of The Athletic wrote.
Quick added that Billups spoke with The Athletic prior to the loss to the Boston Celtics, and the coach himself offered a really confident message regarding his job security.
“I don’t worry about that, at all,” Billups said. “We have our talks and everything, and that will remain between us, but I don’t worry about that at all.”
There are some pretty sensible reasons why Billups shouldn’t be concerned about his job just yet. First off, he is on the verge of completing just his second season as a head coach in the NBA. When the Blazers signed him to be their head man prior to the 2021-22 season, they had to know that it would take some time for him to gain consistent success.
Beyond that, it is well known that the Blazers are in something of a rebuild right now. Despite the fact that star Damian Lillard is still in the building, the Blazers are in search of a new identity to head into the future with.
They already have some solid young pieces, including Anfernee Simons and Cam Reddish, but more pieces are needed to consistently compete.
Surely, the hope for the Blazers right now is that they will get lucky in the upcoming draft lottery and land a top pick. The upcoming draft’s top two projected picks — Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson — are believed to be potential superstars. Wembanyama is considered by many to be one of the best prospects in the history of the NBA.
If Billups and company were to end up lucky enough to land either one of those top two picks, expectations in Portland would surely be elevated.
