3 Takeaways From Micah Nori's Introductory Press Conference

The Portland Trail Blazers are welcoming Micah Nori into the fold as their next head coach.

Nori comes to the Blazers on a controversial contract, but he shared his thoughts on his deal and the team in his introductory press conference. Here are three major takeaways from Nori's first introduction to the Portland fanbase.

Micah Nori is Ready to Prove Himself

Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach Micah Nori against the Phoenix Suns. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Nori has been waiting for an opportunity like this for a while after spending nearly two decades as an assistant coach in the league. Now that he has a chance to be a head coach, he isn't going to waste it.

While many criticized the contract he was handed on a one-year deal with team options for the next two seasons, Nori is grateful to be handed a job that only 30 people have in the world.

"The way I look at this is, opportunity. For 28 years, the first 25 years I never had an agent. I never look at money or years. I know that if I'm successful, the rest of these things will take care of themselves," Nori said via Blazers insider Sean Highkin.

There's a Clear Vision on How the Blazers Should Play

Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach Micah Nori reacts during the first half. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Nori has spent the last five seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he saw the Blazers on the other end of the floor very often. He sees what the roster can do and he hopes he can take the best parts of the Wolves from the past five seasons and apply it to the Blazers' roster.

"Our identity is, when they come in here, we want to be a physical team. The great thing about this roster is, we have defenders all across the board. We have a team that should be able to create turnovers and play with pace," Nori said via Highkin.

Blazers Ready to Move Forward

After making the playoffs for the first time in five years, the Blazers have a lot of momentum going into the upcoming season. The expectations are higher than they've been during this decade, which puts Nori on the spot right away as a head coach.

"This group did win last year, so they got a taste of it under a tough situation. Tiago and his staff did a phenomenal job getting the team to the playoffs," Nori said via Highkin. "We're adding Dame Lillard back into the fold. Now it's, how do we take that step forward?"

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