Former Blazers Coach Responds to Death of Portland Colleague

The former Blazers coach responds to the death of one of his colleagues.

Mar 1, 2019; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Portland Trail Blazers assistant coach David Vanterpool instructs guard CJ McCollum (3) during their game against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. The Raptors beat the Trail Blazers 119-117. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-Imagn Images | Tom Szczerbowski-Imagn Images

The Portland Trail Blazers have had a lot of coaches who have influenced players in multiple decades. One thing that the organization prides itself on is having a good coaching staff.

Recently, one of their former coaches passed away. Former assistant coach Kim Hughes passed away at the age of 73. He was on staff in Portland from 2012-2015.

A former assistant coach who was with him while he was in Portland recently reacted to his death. He recently put something on Instagram reacting to the unfortunate passing.

More news: The former Blazers coach responds to the death of one of his colleagues.

Former assistant coach David Vanterpool commented on an Instagram post that Myers Leonard had been talking about the post.

The Blazers liked what Hughes was able to give to the team. Vanterpool made sure to give him a nice tribute. Even though he was only in Portland for four seasons, he clearly made a big impact on the organization.

Portland is a mid-sized market, which is why so many coaches and players are able to stay connected to each other. It is one big family that they all love, which cannot be said for all of the other teams in the NBA.

The Trail Blazers are grateful to Hughes for the work that he did with the Trail Blazers, even if it was just a relatively short time with the team it considering the years he was with the franchise.

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The Trail Blazers might honor Hughes in some way during the season

It's unclear right now if the Trail Blazers will honor Hughes in some way throughout the season. Sometimes, teams wear a patch on the jersey when a member of the organization dies.

That will likely be up to general manager Joe Cronin before the season starts. Either way, there will be plenty of people who Hughes touched that will honor him in their own ways.

Portland will have to figure out a new protocol for these types of things once the ownership transfer is officially done. That likely won't be finalized until March at the earliest, however.

Hughes was just 73 years old when he passed away. Still, it's clear that he made an impact on several people along the way.

For more news and notes on the Portland Trail Blazers, visit Portland Trail Blazers on SI.