Report: Jason Kidd or Chauncey Billups Likely to be Blazers' Next Coach
The Trail Blazers' search for the tenth coach in team history has been officially ongoing for less than 24 hours. The morning after Terry Stotts was fired and Damian Lillard made his preference clear, though, Portland has reportedly zeroed in on a pair of top candidates – and both are franchise-player approved.
Jason Quick and Shams Charania of The Athletic reported on Friday that it's "believed" the Blazers will choose between Jason Kidd and Chauncey Billups to replace Stotts.
As Lillard's public campaign for Kidd continued to reverberate across Rip City, he went on the record again supporting either champion point guard as the second head coach of his storied career.
"I like J. Kidd and Chauncey,” Lillard told The Athletic.
Lillard's personal favorite remains Kidd because of his previous head-coaching experience and their shared Oakland roots, according to The Athletic. Team management, meanwhile, is reportedly "intrigued" by Billups, who has a close relationship with general manager Neil Olshey dating back to their shared time with the LA Clippers in 2011-12.
The Blazers announced on Friday night they mutually agreed to part ways with Stotts, whose nine-year tenure in Portland ended with a disappointing first-round playoff loss – the team's fourth in five seasons.
In the immediate aftermath of Stotts' departure, Lillard told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports that Kidd "is the guy I want" as the Blazers' next coach. Yahoo also reported that Lillard has a "good relationship" with Billups.
Both Kidd and Billups have been rumored as potential candidates to succeed Stotts for months.
The former has been an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers since the start of last season, drawing rave reviews for his ability to relate to players and evolving strategic acumen. Billups left ESPN's studio to join the coaching ranks this season, becoming an assistant with the LA Clippers under Ty Lue.
While Lillard reportedly values the experience either former floor general would bring to Rip City as head coach, their purported history of violence against women should factor into the hiring decision ultimately made by Olshey and franchise chair Jody Allen.
Kidd pleaded guilty to spousal abuse in 2001 for striking his then-wife in the face. In a subsequent countersuit against him, Kidd's ex-wife alleged "years of physical abuse" from the 2018 Hall-of-Fame inductee.
In 1997, his rookie season in the NBA, Billups, Ron mercer and another man were accused of raping a woman at the home of Antoine Walker, Billups and Mercer's teammate with the Boston Celtics. Billups and Mercer later settled a lawsuit brought against them by the alleged victim, paying her an undisclosed sum.
[Jason Quick and Shams Charania, The Athletic]