Report: Blazers 'Internally' Discuss Trying to Poach Erik Spoelstra
The Trail Blazers' dream coaching candidate is very likely unavailable. As the team gets deeper into the search for Terry Stotts' successor, though, Portland is apparently broaching the idea of poaching Erik Spoelstra from the Miami Heat regardless – perhaps with the carrot of dual roles on the sidelines and front office.
Ethan Skolnick of Five Reason Sports reported on Tuesday that the Blazers have engaged in "internal discussions" about bringing Spoelstra, who played high school and college basketball in Portland, back to Rip City.
The fine print is crucial here. There's no indication the Blazers have even reached out to the Heat about engaging with Spoelstra, let alone talked to him directly. Any notion that he has interest in leaving South Beach is purely hypothetical at this point, too.
But if there was a possibility of Spoelstra ever returning to Portland as a coach, it's safe to say expanding the scope of his responsibilities to the front office – suggested by Five Reasons Sports – might be what entices him home.
Though coaches like Doc Rivers, Tom Thibodeau and Stan Van Gundy have failed recently while occupying tandem roles as coach and executive, Spoelstra's wealth of experience and success grinding his way from the bottom to the top of Miami's organization gives him the rare latitude to ask for it. Where general manager Neil Olshey would fit into that dynamic if Spoelstra actually came to the Blazers is anyone's guess, but it's a testament to the serious nature of Portland's search that owner Jody Allen has reportedly entertained it at all.
Spoelstra, of course, would be a home-run hire for the Blazers in pretty much any capacity. A graduate of Beaverton's Jesuit High School and the University of Portland, Spoelstra played four seasons for the Pilots in the early 1990s. He took over as the Heat's video coordinator in 1995, rising up the ranks to become head coach in 2008.
Spoelstra has since established himself as arguably the best coach in the NBA, proving himself capable of leading teams with wildly disparate rosters and two-way playing styles to meaningful, lasting success. He won championships with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in 2012 and 2013, and last season guided the fifth-seeded Heat to the NBA Finals.
Until further notice, don't get too excited about Spoelstra's name being mentioned for Portland's coaching vacancy. Odds are that he'll simply use the Blazers' reported interest in him as leverage for a raise or to get more power in Miami's front office, ties to Rip City be damned.
Portland interviewed Mike D'Antoni for its coaching vacancy on Monday, and has interviews scheduled for this week with Chauncey Billups and Becky Hammon. Dawn Staley and Brent Barry are also being considered by the Blazers.