The Portland Trail Blazers have been far from the same team that made the NBA Western Conference Finals. In fact, they are in danger of missing the NBA playoffs unless they can string some wins. There are a lot of factors to consider, including the absence of Jusuf Nurkic. Hence, pinning the blame entirely on head coach Terry Stotts may not be fair.
The fact still remains that the Blazers have made the playoffs in each of the last six NBA seasons. But to most, their feat last season was the most impressive. Given that Stotts has met expectations, the growing belief that he could be fired by season's end makes no sense, Sam Amick of The Athletic reported. Stotts is under contract until the 2021-22 season after signing an extension last April.
With 23 games left, the Blazers can still catch the last bus to the NBA playoffs. It will not be easy with players like Damian Lillard not at 100 percent. He has missed the team's last three games due to a groin strain, and this could be telling.
Aside from trying to catch up to the Memphis Grizzlies, the Blazers are not the only ones making a push. The New Orleans Pelicans have the same thing in mind with Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram leading the way. As one can see, there are a lot of factors to consider. But for Stotts and his Blazers, winning as many games as possible is the only way to go.
Looking beyond this NBA season, it remains that the Blazers need to tweak the roster. However, their choices may be limited with Lillard and CJ McCollum making an average of more than $80 million per season until 2021-23. With a limited budget, the best Portland can do is target players who don't cost that much but can blend in with Stott's system.
Things could change once Nurkick is back in action. The Blazers have tried to make it work with Hassan Whiteside, but his inconsistent play had hardly reaped dividends for Portland. He will be a free agent after this season and is unlikely to return.
The Blazers hardly have issues on scoring with Carmelo Anthony being another option. Defense is what the Portland needs to work on, meaning they need tougher and big bodies moving forward. Their supporting cast hardly gets it done, meaning the Blazers may want to clean up and take in players who can really help out starting next NBA season.
