Now in his fourth season as the Portland Trail Blazers‘ coach, Chauncey Billups and the team are exceeding expectations. Last season, Portland finished with a 21-61 record. With roughly a month left this season, they are 28-37 and have already surpassed last year’s win total. They currently own the No. 12 seed, so a postseason appearance seems unlikely. Still, the Trail Blazers have done much better than most expected them to.
Recently, NBA insider Marc Stein (subscription required) reported that many assumed the Trail Blazers would move on from Billups this season. However, not only will the Blazers likely keep him around for the rest of the season, but they also reportedly have interest in keeping him around past this season.
“Portland holds a team option on Billups for next season, but it was widely assumed in coaching circles when the season began that Billups was destined to be a candidate for other jobs at season’s end. The tenor of that chatter has changed. More and more you hear whispers that the Blazers are presumed to have mounting interest retaining Billups beyond this season.”
Trail Blazers Expected to Retain Chauncey Billups, Per Insider
The Players Have Chauncey Billups’ Back
After a win against the Phoenix Suns in February, Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons spoke highly about Billups.
“Nobody on the team wavered on Chauncey’s message [early in the season],” Anfernee Simons said after Monday’s win. “It can be frustrating at times when you don’t see the results. But we stuck with it. We’ve been sticking with how we want to play. It took some time to get adjusted to playing faster now, getting to know each other. But he’s been preaching the same thing all year. We’re seeing the results of the things he’s been preaching.”
While it was only Simons who made this comment, it is fair to assume the rest of the team feels the same way. Heading into the season, most expected Portland to finish near the bottom of the standings once again. However, they are putting together a solid campaign and are seemingly building something in Portland.
The Last Word
The Trail Blazers are a young team and have a lot of potential. While it is unlikely they will be any type of contender in the near future, they are still a team to keep an eye on, especially given their season this year.
Regardless of their future outlook, the Trail Blazers still have a month left in the season. As it stands, they are just four games behind the Dallas Mavericks for the No. 10 seed and the final Play-In spot. The Mavericks are on a five-game losing streak and are in serious danger of missing the postseason after making the NBA Finals last year. This is especially true after Kyrie Irving‘s season-ending ACL injury. However, the Trail Blazers still have a lot of ground to make up to climb the standings. Still, they remain a team to monitor both in the short term and for the long haul.
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