The Portland Trail Blazers won their first playoffs game in five years last night, defeating the San Antonio Spurs to even their first-round series at 1-1. It was a triumphant moment for Blazers Head Coach Tiago Splitter.
On the same day, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported that Splitter has been holding on as rumors swirl around him, fallout from the apparent coaching search being conducted by new Blazers owner Tom Dundon while his team is still in play during the season.
Searching for a replacement coach while the position is filled is considered a faux pas in NBA etiquette, short-changing the active coach and undermining his credibility. Shelburne reported that Splitter is trying to put aside the matter and concentrate on the job at hand:
“Just trying to be a pro,” Splitter said before the Trail Blazers’ 106-103 win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series Tuesday night. “[I] try to focus on my locker room and my staff to stay and think about basketball. Same way when I got the job and all the stuff that was going on.”
According to the report, the Blazers and Splitter have had preliminary discussions during the season about extending his contract but they did not progress beyond the talking stage:
Sources close to the situation told ESPN that Splitter was given a raise from his assistant coaching salary and discussed a longer-term contract during the season. The salary presented to him to continue on as head coach was far below a standard NBA head coaching salary, and further discussion was tabled until after the season, sources said.
Splitter originally took over the head seat when suspended coach Chauncey Billups was arrested and indicted for gambling charges after the first game of the season. Since then, Splitter’s players have developed an appreciation for him:
“He got thrown in a difficult situation,” [Blazers forward Deni] Avdija said after the Trail Blazers evened the series Tuesday night. “It wasn’t easy for him to just all of a sudden take the head job. But I think he’s done phenomenal. He’s getting the best out of everybody. He’s believing in each and single one of his players, and we love playing for him. He’s a winner. He’s a competitor. He knows how it is to win a championship. He’s passionate, and he got all the tools to be a great coach, and that’s what he’s doing.”
The Blazers and Spurs will face each other in Game 3 of their series on Friday evening.
