The Portland Trail Blazers ended their head coaching search on Tuesday when they hired Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori.
However, the Blazers’ decision isn’t going over well, and not because Nori isn’t a good candidate. Rather, Portland gave Nori a one-year deal with options for the second and third seasons. After the news surfaced, Detroit Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who is also the National Basketball Coaches Association president, called it a “slap in the face.”
“Coaching salaries have been increasing because the league understands and owners understand the value of quality coaching,” Bickerstaff said, via Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “So for a new guy to come in who doesn’t have that understanding and to go out and chop at the knees of coaches is a slap in the face to our value.”
Bickerstaff also said it is “extremely disappointing,” while adding that “it’s like someone’s taking advantage of your dream and devaluing what we feel like coaches have earned over the years.”
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch had a different thought from Bickerstaff, and he was excited for Nori to get an opportunity.
“There’s 30 of these jobs. They’re hard to get. They’re incredibly rewarding in a lot of different ways. I know he wasn’t focused on certainly money, but he was first focused on opportunity,” Finch said, via Tim MacMahon.
New Trail Blazers owner, Tom Dundon, has also caught heat for some cost-cutting moves, including mass layoffs recently. Now, they are giving Nori a one-year deal in an odd move.
The Los Angeles Angels gave new manager Kurt Suzuki a one-year deal prior to the season, although owner Arte Moreno insisted on doing so due to a potential work stoppage in 2027.
Nonetheless, Nori gets a chance to be a head coach, but it could be a short stint in Oregon if things don’t go well.
