Blazers reveal decision on head coach Chauncey Billups after stinker of season

Feb 15, 2018; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Former player Chauncey Billups speaks during a ceremony honoring former Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Flip Saunders prior to a game against Los Angeles Lakers at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Chauncey Billups just led the Portland Trail Blazers to their worst finish in nearly two decades, but he is not going anywhere just yet.

Speaking with the media in an exit interview on Monday, Blazers GM Joe Cronin revealed the team’s decision on their head coach Billups. Cronin said that Billups will be back again to coach the Blazers next season.

Joe Cronin confirms that Chauncey Billups will be back as head coach next season.

— Sean Highkin (@highkin) April 15, 2024

The former All-NBA guard Billups, 47, took the job with the Blazers in 2021. He didn’t have much NBA coaching experience prior to doing so (just a lone season as an assistant coach for the LA Clippers), and that has made itself apparent ever since. Billups is now 81-165 (.329) over his three seasons in Portland with this season marking rock-bottom. The Blazers finished as a Western Conference-worst 21-61 (.256), and Billups did not even do that great of a job of developing prized youngsters like Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe.

In fairness, Billups deserve some slack since Portland dealt with injuries up and down the roster this season, further depleting their barren talent pool in the post-Damian Lillard era. But Billups has faced some rumors of coaching incompetence in seasons past and will need to do better next season in order to be regarded as anything more than a tank commander.