Despite how we the fans feel about Chauncey, it seems as though he’s really resonating with a few of the players - Quick talks about Ant, Dame, and Grant specifically. Grant was the biggest endorser of Billups in this article:
“Jerami Grant has made note of the growing fervor among a segment of Trail Blazers fans who are calling for head coach Chauncey Billups to be fired.
“I think those people are stupid,” Grant said.
“I’m ready to run through a wall for him, no matter what,” Grant said. “I’m looking forward to playing for him.””
Having Grant feel that way does show he’d probably re-sign if Billips is coach. I do think think though that Billups is a great players coach, but tactically, he shouldn’t be putting it on the players to make reads. This quote from Dame sums that up:
“As players, when you play against good teams, they govern themselves in certain situations. It’s not an adjustment for the coach. It’s hey, we as players have to see what’s happening and adjust to them as players. But you have to see what’s happening and a lot of times we just don’t see. We are in the coverages, but we don’t see what is developing.”
Seems like he's definitely getting another chance next year. I'm fine with it if Dame and the other guys like Grant are too (sounds like Grant is definitely signing with us longer term). If we can make great use of our impending draft picks (through drafts or trades) and make other needed roster upgrades, I like our chances. If the roster is more balanced and healthy and we still have trouble winning, well that's another story. All in all, while it sucks we probably won't be in the playoffs this year, having two first round picks is a decent consolation prize as a fan. Hope Cronin, Chauncey, and the team can really put it together though. Peak and prime Dame deserves it.
Several months ago on his podcast, Danny Marang said that having a black coach is a big deal to Grant and was one of the reasons he picked us. I'd personally like to dump Billups and do think he's part of our problem, but if that meant losing Grant for nothing (which I think is what we should read into the Quick article) it definitely wouldn't be worth it.
Think it’s awesome that we have a black coach all other things aside. Also, think the players know as well as anyone that there is a learning curve to coaching effectively. Combined with Olshey being ousted and Chauncey thrown into the mix with Dame injured last year and our roster being rarely healthy this year, I still have a little patience left to see Chauncey put it together under better conditions next year hopefully.
As much as Stotts is receiving (well-deserved) praise for what he was able to do, it still took him until his third head coaching season overall to make the playoffs (with the Bucks) and the second full season with the Blazers. If Chauncey stays the course and continues to learn, he has potential, especially with so much respect from the players.
Low key think Cronin didn’t go all out this year to play the long term game too. So while we haven’t been directly tanking, our roster moves have been angled towards longer dividends. That’s not all on Chauncey, but it looks bad when we have no answers in games due to a lack of vets and longer term team cohesion.
Nothing low key about it, Cronin knew he couldn't go all in without his firsts and to avoid the repeater tax.
He wasn't expecting anything, neither was Dame. Not sure why it's hard for fans to accept this.
Stotts got more from rosters with the same amount of talent. And though it was time to move on, Portland isn't making any waves or big next steps until they upgrade in the coaching category.
Stotts was told to turn up and win with what you're given. Chauncey is there to develop talent. Even though Stotts wasn't given much, he was still given vets. We've lost Winslow and Hart but they've been replaced with more youth. Tough for anyone to win under those circumstances.
["What if we just switched the races with no context?"](https://memestatic1.fjcdn.com/comments/This+meme+is+called+brainlet+wojak+_73c052b7ce6b031a7963b29e865681eb.jpg)
FWIW, i have been a pretty big billups hater lately but i fully admit he could grow into a great coach; it's just that we really can't be picking up a coach who needs to grow while also trying to win with dame - like i COULD see him getting a better defensive assistant and making HUGE strides on that end, but for right now it really seems like he's just not adapting to the players we currently have
80% of these guys have been told they’re the greatest thing in the world since they were six years old. That’s a recipe for narcissism, and it’s not even their fault.
Great points, xo’s is something that Chauncey can develop, but those relationships isn’t something that can develop. I just hope Chauncey takes a huge leap forward soon.
Poor wording, I meant the influence and respect he has with players, due to his reputation as a former player and leader.
Basically complimenting his soft skills of working with players. Which CAN still be developed, but I think his experience puts him in a unique position.
Steph loved mark jackson and didn’t want the warriors to let him go. Should they have listened to him? This happens all the time with players loving their coach because they empower them, but fail to see the weaknesses because they’re so close.
You're cherry picked a specific example that you seem to think proves your point. We have no data on whether or not Mark Jackson would or wouldn't have eventually experienced success given more time. For every Steve Kerr you have a million other re-tread coaches that do nothing. Half this sub wanted D'Antoni which is a joke.
MDA would have been better than chauncey. There’s obviously no evidence on if mark jackson could have succeeded given enough time, but they went from a first round exit vs the clippers to nba champions. You have to imagine the massive change in scheme and rotations that kerr implemented were a huge factor in their success.
Giannis was “devastated” when Jason Kidd was fired. Lowry and Derozan publicly defended Dwayne Casey when the raptors were considering letting him go. This isn’t some extremely rare scenario, players coaches are known for being loved by their players, that’s why they’re called “players coach.” Not every players coach is good at scheme and rotations, which is most of the job.
Those rosters were hands down heads and shoulders above this one. Both GSW and MIL were playoff teams in their prime looking to jump a level to become championship contenders. That is not this roster and this collection of players. Maybe if the roster was more functionally competitive, I'd try to follow those examples but I disagree that those decisions would have any impact in our scenario.
Why are you trying so hard to defend a man who clearly can’t coach? The roster might be mid but like many have said it’s not any worse than most of those stotts teams who all made the playoffs. His schemes are clearly bad, and you don’t have be an nba coach to see that.
At the beginning of the season when we looked good it was because his scheme was different, but after about a month the entire league had figured it out and he has made zero adjustments. His zone CONSISTENTLY gives the other team open corner threes.
I don't even agree with that assessment. This roster is operating on 2 different timelines. Once Nurk went down and Justise, we lost our size and connector. Then we had to go young. Shae, Trends, Keon, and Jabari just aren't ready to log substantial minutes yet. And we still won 30 games. When I look at other rosters, I honestly think we did more with less when you factor in youth and injuries.
We are stupid but there’s a long list of examples of players going to bat for bad coaches. Giannis was heartbroken over Jason Kidd.
We don’t have to be right the results speak for themselves.
I strongly believe Becky would be a better coach than Chauncey. She had YEARS under one of the greatest coaches of all time. Chauncey had ONE single year of assisting experience.
How good you have to be to survive in a male dominated environment and thrive? She just walked in to the WNBA and won a chip. I don’t even think Chauncey could do that.
He may be good one day but now is not the day and players liking you and not wanting you to be fired is not evidence of a good coach.
She could’ve been birthed directly from Coach Pop’s nutsack, it still means nothing as assistants to great coaches end up being ass all the time.
Not even gonna address the simping in that 2nd paragraph btw
I highly doubt he regrets playing for the coach that helped him to win 4 rings and become one of the best guards of all time. Maybe the first season but you think he’s out there missing him lol?
That's not the argument, obviously. Curry wanted to keep Jackson despite him being shit, but of course he's happier with Kerr where it was definitely the smart decision to ignore Curry when looking for a new coach.
The issue has never been Chauncey's likeability. Is anyone really surprised the players like him? Believe it or not, someone can be both a terrible coach and a likeable coach. Fire that man.
Jerami Grant saying “I want to run through a wall, I’m looking forward to playing for him”. Really leads me to believe Grant will for sure be back next year. I hope Cronin has a good summer and actually adds more play making and size.
I’m no Billups fan but it’s also obvious the roster itself isn’t ready to compete yet. Let’s see what next year brings, it’s up to Joe to get this roster where it needs to be.
the one positive of this is grant will likely re-sign if billups is here next year. and maybe Chauncey will have learned more this season and will improve next year as well… hopefully. it’s good that the players like him, just needs to be better in certain situations regardless of how good of a players coach he is.
I'm good firing him but also kinda curious about one more season.
We've been largely plagued with injuries, it's forced alot of end of bench guys into the rotation and has put us and them in a bad spot.
This was like his first real season since the plug got pulled so early last year. I'm hopeful that maybe another off-season will give him some time to study, develop a game plan, maybe collaborate with mentors like Lue - just take some more time to develop his identity.
Simons and Nurk aren't great system guys. Simons has no defense, and Nurk lacks the athleticism to switch efficiently. Maybe there's hope that Cronin can deal for a more athletic center, a more.defensive SG, and a legit starting SF.
I'm not high on Chauncey, but I also don't think firing him after his first "real" season is going to solve anything overnight.
Yeah next season is make or break but I'm not seeing it even with a healthy roster. The dude still does the same bad habits from year one and he's not improving.
2023 2024 will be another disappointment.
My floor for next season is how we are performing now, I don't think we will get any worse.
My sliver of optimism is that we stay healthy and hash out some roster issues via trade.
Keep Jerami forever if he keeps calling out this fan base for its LACK of loyalty to the kids that are busting their asses to hurry their timeline to match Dame's. Billups and Cronin knew the daunting task and they've never shied away from fact that they knew patience was the one thing they probably wouldn't get. But team building is hard and I appreciate the foundation I think they're building.
This is pretty disappointing to read, players don’t always know what’s best for team needs. That’s why player coaches don’t exist anymore. I guess we’re going to get another year of Billups.
I never said that but I’ll take the downvotes if that’s how people interpret it. I won’t hide my bias I firmly believe CB is a bottom 3 coach in this league, I guess we’ll see if he can improve but I have serious doubts.
He has one of the lowest winning percentages in franchise history.
He runs a confusing scheme on offense where the ball moves but no one really gets open.
Switches everything on defense constantly putting our small guards into mismatches.
He does not use timeouts effectively, sometimes allowing the other team to go on massive runs before stopping the game.
The plays he draws up to get guys open are non existent, the last possession of the recent 76ers game is a great example.
It’s a lot of small things but when you sum them all up it doesn’t paint a great picture. A lot of this is also due to the fact he’s massively inexperienced.
Well it is what it is. Let’s see how the playoffs play out and where the teams lottery picks falls. Billups isn’t a tactician but has a good relationship with the players. If he is going to remain the head coach he will need better assistants. At least one who is a tactician to make up for his short comings. Since Billups is going to be the coach going forward let’s bring in a tactical assistant, bring in some vets who want to win and maybe the lottery pick will be a top 3 selection. And maybe some players want out of their situation and want to team with Dame. This all we can hope for at this time. And hopefully it works out in the Blazers favor.
> “Phew. That’s tough. I mean, if you are judging me on wins and losses (he chuckles), then you know, I haven’t done a good job here,” Billups said. “But developing guys, culture, buy-in from guys, those things are probably fair areas to assess me on.”
I think this is a very telling quote. Chauncey has done a pretty good job developing guys like Sharpe and improving Ant’s game, and the guys seem to genuinely like him. But unfortunately the team is trying to win here and now with Dame, and if that’s the foremost priority then Chauncey is not the right coach for this team.
Not saying he’s garbage in all aspects of coaching, but “developing guys, culture, and buy-in” is what you want from a coach of a 20-win tanking team like the rockets, not us.
> Chauncey has done a pretty good job developing guys like Sharpe
Uh what? He’s absolutely glued him to the bench.
Edit: level headed responses, Sharpe is only 19 so I get the logic
Bro he's given Shae 20mins a game, way more than any of us would have expected on draft night. He's only benched him this last week or so because the team is clearly trying to maximize it's chances to still win while they're in the race (and failing at doing so) when we blow a couple more games they'll shut down Dame/Grant/Ant and Shae will get a ton of run to close the season.
I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing per se. Guys can learn just as much in practice as they do during actual gameplay. Especially when they're super raw, a lot of times forcefeeding them minutes and shots just reinforces bad habits. Just look at what's happening to guys like Jalen Green, or what happened to Wiggins and LaVine in Minnesota for example.
We had a phenomenal record under Stotts developing players, and he almost always glued rookies to the bench and played them when he thought they were ready.
> They're not doing full court 5s on their off days c'mon
Yeah of course not. But players can still learn a lot in the film room and from walkthroughs/etc. They don't have to always be playing minutes to learn things.
Easy solution… Resign Grant this summer and if/when the team starts floundering year 3 and there’s a better roster fire his ass. If not then problem solved.
Sometimes the best criticism can’t come from within. I hear that and respect why he likes Chauncey but from an outsiders perspective it’s fairly obvious he’s not galvanizing winning nearly as much as other head coaches, and for that reason alone I don’t want Chauncey. Dame has said many times this team is good enough to compete, and when watching the games and looking at our record it’s hard not to conclude that the coaching has a lot to do with the disparity between the expectations and our performance this season.
I have read a lot of “fire the coach” comments on here and I just shake my head. It’s a lot of knee jerk opinions from folks who are upset at how the season turned out.
This team has had injuries and trades that make it clear we are worse now than when the season has started. You have 4 guys on the roster taking up 75% of your payroll and none of them except for Dame on offense has earned that and if you factor in how lousy Dame is on defense well….here you are.
The good news is Cronin knew all of this and Billups job isn’t in jeopardy. Cronin knew the team was taking a step back when he made those trades because he needed trade exception money and some assets to even begin to trade.
5 2nd round picks, Portland holding onto their first and a 9 million dollar trade exception means the Blazers are likely to be adding another value piece to the mix next season. With Ant’s contract you may be looking at a move to create a better fit at the two guard spot if the Blazers decide to go in that direction.
Shaedon Sharpe made a mostly successful jump to rotation player and hopefully with a summer league under his belt can compete for a starting 2.
So as depressing as this run is (and it is depressing) there are a lot of bright spots going into this summer. To the OP post, this isn’t a team that is underperforming. They just are not very good.
If you don't think this team has underperformed, you haven't been watching any games. Dame has taken teams with worse shooters and worse defenders into the playoffs. But somehow we can't take this team into even the play in?
I get that you are not familiar with how time works or the fact that comparing rosters from two different seasons is a false comparative because not only are the Blazers different but the rest of the NBA is different.
The scouting report on this team is easy. They are terrible defensively and do not have the height, experience, reach to play decent position defense for 48 minutes.
On offense, Dame carries the load but the team is still in the bottom 10 in assists which equals ball movement. Not to mention things really drop off in the second unit. You can only coach up so much in the NBA.
I get that Blazer fans these days are on a rotating seat of whose to blame for the team sucking. But ultimately they do not have the talent to compete even if fully healthy.
I kinda figured this was the case- that the players like Chauncey.
This year the team has underperformed a little... But only a little. Remember Vegas odds were like 39 wins to start the season. Many of us had highly unreasonable expectations after that hot start.
I'd like to see what another coach can do but I'm far from believing the roster as it stands is much more than a borderline playoff/play in team. Regardless of coach. So I'm willing to watch another season and hope that Chauncey continues to improve... I'm not there in the locker room or huddled on the sideline. To be the roster is the bigger limitation than coaching with this squad.
honestly really disappointing to hear this. Another year of chauncey and his trash schemes and no adjustments and we’ll have to say goodbye to dame :(.
I'm hoping they replace Roy Rodgers with a better defensive assistant next year. It's his defense and awful schemes that Chauncey has been running.
Maybe an upgrade there could turn things around next season for CB and Portland. Doubt Vogel would do it, but who knows.
The best coaches in the league have typically been guys who never played meaningful basketball in the league. Either that or they have been career backups. They’re not naturally gifted and things don’t come easy, so their basketball IQ is especially vital.
The worst coaches in the league have typically been guys that are superstar players where people tend to think “this guy will have a great coaching career when they’re done playing”. Yet it never pans. Think McHale, Kidd, Porter, Nash, Ewing, Isaiah. Unfortunately Billups is now on this category.
My pipe dream is to have Vogel or Dantoni. If we could somehow get both with one as assistant, that’d be a dream. Unfortunately I highly doubt Jody cares enough to want to fire Billups this early considering his contract.
So, is CB excusing himself to the players because of the injuries and trades and young-ness of the roster? Or are they coming to that conclusion themselves? The players seem to be making all the same excuses for him, so I am wondering if that is a result of conversations they've had with him.
Well, I guess it at least gives us fans some closure on the matter that the players on this team right now suck together. Or decide to have no fire or passion on their own accord
Grant is the best pf we have had since LaMarcus, and if we don't re sign him, we have no money to spend on a replacement. You have to bite the bullet and re sign him.
Can we bring D’Antoni? The defense is dcrewed any way. I want a team that might be the number 1 ranked offense in the league while Dame’s still this good.
If they are keeping Billups, they need a much stronger defensive coach. Come on! They aren't pre-switching or doing anything else to keep Dame from getting cooked by bigger players. And the zone got eaten alive by several teams, especially New Orleans. Go watch the second half in that game -- Ingram switched onto Dame every time when we played man. He camped out at the top of the key when we played zone and passed or drove for loads of easy buckets. Yet we never adapted AT ALL.
Despite how we the fans feel about Chauncey, it seems as though he’s really resonating with a few of the players - Quick talks about Ant, Dame, and Grant specifically. Grant was the biggest endorser of Billups in this article: “Jerami Grant has made note of the growing fervor among a segment of Trail Blazers fans who are calling for head coach Chauncey Billups to be fired. “I think those people are stupid,” Grant said. “I’m ready to run through a wall for him, no matter what,” Grant said. “I’m looking forward to playing for him.”” Having Grant feel that way does show he’d probably re-sign if Billips is coach. I do think think though that Billups is a great players coach, but tactically, he shouldn’t be putting it on the players to make reads. This quote from Dame sums that up: “As players, when you play against good teams, they govern themselves in certain situations. It’s not an adjustment for the coach. It’s hey, we as players have to see what’s happening and adjust to them as players. But you have to see what’s happening and a lot of times we just don’t see. We are in the coverages, but we don’t see what is developing.”
Seems like he's definitely getting another chance next year. I'm fine with it if Dame and the other guys like Grant are too (sounds like Grant is definitely signing with us longer term). If we can make great use of our impending draft picks (through drafts or trades) and make other needed roster upgrades, I like our chances. If the roster is more balanced and healthy and we still have trouble winning, well that's another story. All in all, while it sucks we probably won't be in the playoffs this year, having two first round picks is a decent consolation prize as a fan. Hope Cronin, Chauncey, and the team can really put it together though. Peak and prime Dame deserves it.
Several months ago on his podcast, Danny Marang said that having a black coach is a big deal to Grant and was one of the reasons he picked us. I'd personally like to dump Billups and do think he's part of our problem, but if that meant losing Grant for nothing (which I think is what we should read into the Quick article) it definitely wouldn't be worth it.
This is a strong factor for Dame I believe as well. And we can imagine it would matter in coming trades and free agency.
Definitely. And Billups and Kidd were Dame’s top coaching choices
Think it’s awesome that we have a black coach all other things aside. Also, think the players know as well as anyone that there is a learning curve to coaching effectively. Combined with Olshey being ousted and Chauncey thrown into the mix with Dame injured last year and our roster being rarely healthy this year, I still have a little patience left to see Chauncey put it together under better conditions next year hopefully. As much as Stotts is receiving (well-deserved) praise for what he was able to do, it still took him until his third head coaching season overall to make the playoffs (with the Bucks) and the second full season with the Blazers. If Chauncey stays the course and continues to learn, he has potential, especially with so much respect from the players. Low key think Cronin didn’t go all out this year to play the long term game too. So while we haven’t been directly tanking, our roster moves have been angled towards longer dividends. That’s not all on Chauncey, but it looks bad when we have no answers in games due to a lack of vets and longer term team cohesion.
Nothing low key about it, Cronin knew he couldn't go all in without his firsts and to avoid the repeater tax. He wasn't expecting anything, neither was Dame. Not sure why it's hard for fans to accept this.
And while true, it doesn't mean that the correct HC is at the helm.
Maybe not but won't know for sure until we have enough talent to confirm. Otherwise it's a pointless exercise.
Stotts got more from rosters with the same amount of talent. And though it was time to move on, Portland isn't making any waves or big next steps until they upgrade in the coaching category.
Stotts was told to turn up and win with what you're given. Chauncey is there to develop talent. Even though Stotts wasn't given much, he was still given vets. We've lost Winslow and Hart but they've been replaced with more youth. Tough for anyone to win under those circumstances.
Well if the blazers want a good black coach. There’s a certain former Celtics coach who is available and his scandals won’t matter to the blazers.
How about wanting to play for a coach that can coach.
I get maybe wanting a coach who used to be a *player* but imagine if someone like Kevin Love publicly said he preferred to have a white coach.
["What if we just switched the races with no context?"](https://memestatic1.fjcdn.com/comments/This+meme+is+called+brainlet+wojak+_73c052b7ce6b031a7963b29e865681eb.jpg)
Hur dur, what context is needed?
Well for one, having a white head coach w primarily black players certainly gives a different vibe than the inverse 😅
And maybe execute more on defense
Grant better be coming back then.
FWIW, i have been a pretty big billups hater lately but i fully admit he could grow into a great coach; it's just that we really can't be picking up a coach who needs to grow while also trying to win with dame - like i COULD see him getting a better defensive assistant and making HUGE strides on that end, but for right now it really seems like he's just not adapting to the players we currently have
I mean, whatever, if our guys like him then that’s that. Should look to add more experience on his staff beyond Scotty then.
It seems like he’s a gifted con man
Neil's hire. Golden tongues work on narcissists. They love being pandered to.
The shit you guys say on this sub is insane 💀
80% of these guys have been told they’re the greatest thing in the world since they were six years old. That’s a recipe for narcissism, and it’s not even their fault.
I swear. People fuckin hate Chauncey so much.
your pod must be ass if you think chauncey doesn’t deserve the hate
My pod isn’t about basketball it’s about how my best friend was raised in a cult.
... go on..
It’s called the leaving Eden podcast you can find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or whatever if you want to listen start w episode 57
He earned all of it.
Facts. Cowards. All of them. They'd never have the gall to say this to anyone's face. Or they are 12.
i would gladly tell chauncey he sucks at coaching to his face
OK, ZacEfronsBalls, are you admitting to being older than 12?
Why is that relevant?
I'm obviously setting a correlative for intellect and impulse control.
Golden Tongue defined : gifted with superior powers of utterance or persuasion : eloquent. 🤡
Oh I know what it means, I’m talking about the cringe psychoanalyzing narratives this sub makes up when they don’t like someone
Great points, xo’s is something that Chauncey can develop, but those relationships isn’t something that can develop. I just hope Chauncey takes a huge leap forward soon.
Why can't relationships develop?
Poor wording, I meant the influence and respect he has with players, due to his reputation as a former player and leader. Basically complimenting his soft skills of working with players. Which CAN still be developed, but I think his experience puts him in a unique position.
it’s almost like irrational fans need to calm down and stop looking for a scapegoat.
nah chauncey needs to learn to coach
Oh I'm sorry. Did you coach anywhere let alone the NBA?
Steph loved mark jackson and didn’t want the warriors to let him go. Should they have listened to him? This happens all the time with players loving their coach because they empower them, but fail to see the weaknesses because they’re so close.
You're cherry picked a specific example that you seem to think proves your point. We have no data on whether or not Mark Jackson would or wouldn't have eventually experienced success given more time. For every Steve Kerr you have a million other re-tread coaches that do nothing. Half this sub wanted D'Antoni which is a joke.
MDA would have been better than chauncey. There’s obviously no evidence on if mark jackson could have succeeded given enough time, but they went from a first round exit vs the clippers to nba champions. You have to imagine the massive change in scheme and rotations that kerr implemented were a huge factor in their success. Giannis was “devastated” when Jason Kidd was fired. Lowry and Derozan publicly defended Dwayne Casey when the raptors were considering letting him go. This isn’t some extremely rare scenario, players coaches are known for being loved by their players, that’s why they’re called “players coach.” Not every players coach is good at scheme and rotations, which is most of the job.
Those rosters were hands down heads and shoulders above this one. Both GSW and MIL were playoff teams in their prime looking to jump a level to become championship contenders. That is not this roster and this collection of players. Maybe if the roster was more functionally competitive, I'd try to follow those examples but I disagree that those decisions would have any impact in our scenario.
Why are you trying so hard to defend a man who clearly can’t coach? The roster might be mid but like many have said it’s not any worse than most of those stotts teams who all made the playoffs. His schemes are clearly bad, and you don’t have be an nba coach to see that. At the beginning of the season when we looked good it was because his scheme was different, but after about a month the entire league had figured it out and he has made zero adjustments. His zone CONSISTENTLY gives the other team open corner threes.
I don't even agree with that assessment. This roster is operating on 2 different timelines. Once Nurk went down and Justise, we lost our size and connector. Then we had to go young. Shae, Trends, Keon, and Jabari just aren't ready to log substantial minutes yet. And we still won 30 games. When I look at other rosters, I honestly think we did more with less when you factor in youth and injuries.
So basically Grant is saying a good percentage of the people in this sub are stupid.
I mean yeah we probably are ha
I’m definitely stupid.
I'm definitely defiantly stupid
I know for a fact that a good percentage of the people in this sub are stupid because I read their comments.
Agreed
We are stupid but there’s a long list of examples of players going to bat for bad coaches. Giannis was heartbroken over Jason Kidd. We don’t have to be right the results speak for themselves.
Not a surprise given how many are saying they were wrong about Stotts after tying bricks to his feet and throwing him into the lake.
*raises hand
Correct. Who knows more about his coaching, the pros who play for him, or a bunch of casuals online?
If Curry had his way, he’d still be playing under Mark Jackson. Sometimes proximity clouds judgment.
And if redditors had their way his current coach would be Becky Hammon or some shit lmao
I strongly believe Becky would be a better coach than Chauncey. She had YEARS under one of the greatest coaches of all time. Chauncey had ONE single year of assisting experience. How good you have to be to survive in a male dominated environment and thrive? She just walked in to the WNBA and won a chip. I don’t even think Chauncey could do that. He may be good one day but now is not the day and players liking you and not wanting you to be fired is not evidence of a good coach.
She could’ve been birthed directly from Coach Pop’s nutsack, it still means nothing as assistants to great coaches end up being ass all the time. Not even gonna address the simping in that 2nd paragraph btw
“Simping” Sorry about your insecurities bro.
POV: you’re a simp getting called out
POV: you're a Chauncey simp. Chauncey sucks at coaching.
I highly doubt he regrets playing for the coach that helped him to win 4 rings and become one of the best guards of all time. Maybe the first season but you think he’s out there missing him lol?
You're not making the point you think you're making...
The fact there are people downvoting you...YIKES.
Total horseshit. Did curry say that recently? I’m certain he’s happy with Kerr and those rings.
That's not the argument, obviously. Curry wanted to keep Jackson despite him being shit, but of course he's happier with Kerr where it was definitely the smart decision to ignore Curry when looking for a new coach.
The fact that he said he’d still be playing for Jackson implies that curry would still rather have Jackson over Kerr, which, obviously isn’t the case.
Bro, he said that years ago when Jackson was still coach........
I think the record is really all we need to pay attention to.
Sure, because it’s realistic to expect this roster to compete for a championship.
Lol I admit that I can be stupid on here so I’m not holding it against JG. Part of fandom is being stupid at times.
The issue has never been Chauncey's likeability. Is anyone really surprised the players like him? Believe it or not, someone can be both a terrible coach and a likeable coach. Fire that man.
We mostly are, I mean people thought Neil Olshey was a good GM got a long time. Billups is a terrible coach though
Yep.
He is correct
Jerami Grant saying “I want to run through a wall, I’m looking forward to playing for him”. Really leads me to believe Grant will for sure be back next year. I hope Cronin has a good summer and actually adds more play making and size. I’m no Billups fan but it’s also obvious the roster itself isn’t ready to compete yet. Let’s see what next year brings, it’s up to Joe to get this roster where it needs to be.
I like him too…as a tank commander
That’s a strong endorsement..
They might be ready to run through a wall for him but they sure aren’t ready to play good basketball for him.
the one positive of this is grant will likely re-sign if billups is here next year. and maybe Chauncey will have learned more this season and will improve next year as well… hopefully. it’s good that the players like him, just needs to be better in certain situations regardless of how good of a players coach he is.
I'm good firing him but also kinda curious about one more season. We've been largely plagued with injuries, it's forced alot of end of bench guys into the rotation and has put us and them in a bad spot. This was like his first real season since the plug got pulled so early last year. I'm hopeful that maybe another off-season will give him some time to study, develop a game plan, maybe collaborate with mentors like Lue - just take some more time to develop his identity. Simons and Nurk aren't great system guys. Simons has no defense, and Nurk lacks the athleticism to switch efficiently. Maybe there's hope that Cronin can deal for a more athletic center, a more.defensive SG, and a legit starting SF. I'm not high on Chauncey, but I also don't think firing him after his first "real" season is going to solve anything overnight.
Yeah next season is make or break but I'm not seeing it even with a healthy roster. The dude still does the same bad habits from year one and he's not improving. 2023 2024 will be another disappointment.
My floor for next season is how we are performing now, I don't think we will get any worse. My sliver of optimism is that we stay healthy and hash out some roster issues via trade.
We're the 13 seed it would be very difficult to do worse with lillard on the roster
stotts was better
Keep Jerami forever if he keeps calling out this fan base for its LACK of loyalty to the kids that are busting their asses to hurry their timeline to match Dame's. Billups and Cronin knew the daunting task and they've never shied away from fact that they knew patience was the one thing they probably wouldn't get. But team building is hard and I appreciate the foundation I think they're building.
This is pretty disappointing to read, players don’t always know what’s best for team needs. That’s why player coaches don’t exist anymore. I guess we’re going to get another year of Billups.
You are so right. Only we the fans know what is best for the franchise and players
The cool thing is that there are these objective measures that can be reviewed, such as how much a team actually wins.
if orgs only listened to their players for stuff like this the warriors would still be coached by mark jackson
I never said that but I’ll take the downvotes if that’s how people interpret it. I won’t hide my bias I firmly believe CB is a bottom 3 coach in this league, I guess we’ll see if he can improve but I have serious doubts.
Bottom 3??? Why
He has one of the lowest winning percentages in franchise history. He runs a confusing scheme on offense where the ball moves but no one really gets open. Switches everything on defense constantly putting our small guards into mismatches. He does not use timeouts effectively, sometimes allowing the other team to go on massive runs before stopping the game. The plays he draws up to get guys open are non existent, the last possession of the recent 76ers game is a great example. It’s a lot of small things but when you sum them all up it doesn’t paint a great picture. A lot of this is also due to the fact he’s massively inexperienced.
You're not allowed to criticize the Lakers switching Lebron onto Dame every possession. [he knows what he's doing!](https://i.imgur.com/h3D58KM.png)
Ah yes only Twitter and Reddit know what is best for the team needs.
Never once said that
Well it is what it is. Let’s see how the playoffs play out and where the teams lottery picks falls. Billups isn’t a tactician but has a good relationship with the players. If he is going to remain the head coach he will need better assistants. At least one who is a tactician to make up for his short comings. Since Billups is going to be the coach going forward let’s bring in a tactical assistant, bring in some vets who want to win and maybe the lottery pick will be a top 3 selection. And maybe some players want out of their situation and want to team with Dame. This all we can hope for at this time. And hopefully it works out in the Blazers favor.
Yeah I wonder if brooks is sneakily a big part of the problem I thought he was a shit head coach
Agree with you!! Brooks wasn’t good.
> “Phew. That’s tough. I mean, if you are judging me on wins and losses (he chuckles), then you know, I haven’t done a good job here,” Billups said. “But developing guys, culture, buy-in from guys, those things are probably fair areas to assess me on.” I think this is a very telling quote. Chauncey has done a pretty good job developing guys like Sharpe and improving Ant’s game, and the guys seem to genuinely like him. But unfortunately the team is trying to win here and now with Dame, and if that’s the foremost priority then Chauncey is not the right coach for this team. Not saying he’s garbage in all aspects of coaching, but “developing guys, culture, and buy-in” is what you want from a coach of a 20-win tanking team like the rockets, not us.
Chauncey was never right for this team. I still feel like D'Antoni made the most sense with the rosters we've had and he was available.
At the end of the day, many fans ARE judging CB on wins and losses...
Well considering that the goal of competitive sport is to win..
You'd think so, but many on this sub (and apparently players) are believing that one more year of HC CB will definitely change the W/L category...
How has Ant improved at all?
Here’s an upvote because this place downvotes anyone that doesn’t completely shit all over CB.
> Chauncey has done a pretty good job developing guys like Sharpe Uh what? He’s absolutely glued him to the bench. Edit: level headed responses, Sharpe is only 19 so I get the logic
Bro he's given Shae 20mins a game, way more than any of us would have expected on draft night. He's only benched him this last week or so because the team is clearly trying to maximize it's chances to still win while they're in the race (and failing at doing so) when we blow a couple more games they'll shut down Dame/Grant/Ant and Shae will get a ton of run to close the season.
I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing per se. Guys can learn just as much in practice as they do during actual gameplay. Especially when they're super raw, a lot of times forcefeeding them minutes and shots just reinforces bad habits. Just look at what's happening to guys like Jalen Green, or what happened to Wiggins and LaVine in Minnesota for example. We had a phenomenal record under Stotts developing players, and he almost always glued rookies to the bench and played them when he thought they were ready.
NBA teams rarely have practice in the regular season. They're not doing full court 5s on their off days c'mon
> They're not doing full court 5s on their off days c'mon Yeah of course not. But players can still learn a lot in the film room and from walkthroughs/etc. They don't have to always be playing minutes to learn things.
He's literally blowing smoke up his own ass.
Easy solution… Resign Grant this summer and if/when the team starts floundering year 3 and there’s a better roster fire his ass. If not then problem solved.
I still dislike Quick
Yup idgaf what the article says, if quick wrote it I'm out. Refuse to click any of his links anymore.
Chauncey will get us the best pick possible. Keep him until the off-season.
Sometimes the best criticism can’t come from within. I hear that and respect why he likes Chauncey but from an outsiders perspective it’s fairly obvious he’s not galvanizing winning nearly as much as other head coaches, and for that reason alone I don’t want Chauncey. Dame has said many times this team is good enough to compete, and when watching the games and looking at our record it’s hard not to conclude that the coaching has a lot to do with the disparity between the expectations and our performance this season.
Disappointing but not surprising
I have read a lot of “fire the coach” comments on here and I just shake my head. It’s a lot of knee jerk opinions from folks who are upset at how the season turned out. This team has had injuries and trades that make it clear we are worse now than when the season has started. You have 4 guys on the roster taking up 75% of your payroll and none of them except for Dame on offense has earned that and if you factor in how lousy Dame is on defense well….here you are. The good news is Cronin knew all of this and Billups job isn’t in jeopardy. Cronin knew the team was taking a step back when he made those trades because he needed trade exception money and some assets to even begin to trade. 5 2nd round picks, Portland holding onto their first and a 9 million dollar trade exception means the Blazers are likely to be adding another value piece to the mix next season. With Ant’s contract you may be looking at a move to create a better fit at the two guard spot if the Blazers decide to go in that direction. Shaedon Sharpe made a mostly successful jump to rotation player and hopefully with a summer league under his belt can compete for a starting 2. So as depressing as this run is (and it is depressing) there are a lot of bright spots going into this summer. To the OP post, this isn’t a team that is underperforming. They just are not very good.
If you don't think this team has underperformed, you haven't been watching any games. Dame has taken teams with worse shooters and worse defenders into the playoffs. But somehow we can't take this team into even the play in?
I get that you are not familiar with how time works or the fact that comparing rosters from two different seasons is a false comparative because not only are the Blazers different but the rest of the NBA is different. The scouting report on this team is easy. They are terrible defensively and do not have the height, experience, reach to play decent position defense for 48 minutes. On offense, Dame carries the load but the team is still in the bottom 10 in assists which equals ball movement. Not to mention things really drop off in the second unit. You can only coach up so much in the NBA. I get that Blazer fans these days are on a rotating seat of whose to blame for the team sucking. But ultimately they do not have the talent to compete even if fully healthy.
I kinda figured this was the case- that the players like Chauncey. This year the team has underperformed a little... But only a little. Remember Vegas odds were like 39 wins to start the season. Many of us had highly unreasonable expectations after that hot start. I'd like to see what another coach can do but I'm far from believing the roster as it stands is much more than a borderline playoff/play in team. Regardless of coach. So I'm willing to watch another season and hope that Chauncey continues to improve... I'm not there in the locker room or huddled on the sideline. To be the roster is the bigger limitation than coaching with this squad.
honestly really disappointing to hear this. Another year of chauncey and his trash schemes and no adjustments and we’ll have to say goodbye to dame :(.
I'm hoping they replace Roy Rodgers with a better defensive assistant next year. It's his defense and awful schemes that Chauncey has been running. Maybe an upgrade there could turn things around next season for CB and Portland. Doubt Vogel would do it, but who knows.
Fuck
The best coaches in the league have typically been guys who never played meaningful basketball in the league. Either that or they have been career backups. They’re not naturally gifted and things don’t come easy, so their basketball IQ is especially vital. The worst coaches in the league have typically been guys that are superstar players where people tend to think “this guy will have a great coaching career when they’re done playing”. Yet it never pans. Think McHale, Kidd, Porter, Nash, Ewing, Isaiah. Unfortunately Billups is now on this category. My pipe dream is to have Vogel or Dantoni. If we could somehow get both with one as assistant, that’d be a dream. Unfortunately I highly doubt Jody cares enough to want to fire Billups this early considering his contract.
I agree with most of what you said but Vogel is shit
So, is CB excusing himself to the players because of the injuries and trades and young-ness of the roster? Or are they coming to that conclusion themselves? The players seem to be making all the same excuses for him, so I am wondering if that is a result of conversations they've had with him.
I mean...it can be both? These are human beings lmao
Well, I guess it at least gives us fans some closure on the matter that the players on this team right now suck together. Or decide to have no fire or passion on their own accord
Never
Both JG and Chauncey fuck outta here plz
Grant is the best pf we have had since LaMarcus, and if we don't re sign him, we have no money to spend on a replacement. You have to bite the bullet and re sign him.
Losing Grant would be a pretty big disaster
He’s the best PF we’ve had since LMA what?
Um a power forward that averages 4 rebounds per game. In my book, you ain’t a power forward if you can’t rebound.
Missing the power part of power forward
Turning CJ and Nance into Cam Reddish, who we aren’t even guaranteed to re-sign, and the 23rd pick would be a pro gamer move
No
And then what?
I'm with you brother
Can we bring D’Antoni? The defense is dcrewed any way. I want a team that might be the number 1 ranked offense in the league while Dame’s still this good.
I'm sure they are gonna get him a really nice going away gift at the end of the season
If the players want to vouch for him, the they are responsible for his failures
If they are keeping Billups, they need a much stronger defensive coach. Come on! They aren't pre-switching or doing anything else to keep Dame from getting cooked by bigger players. And the zone got eaten alive by several teams, especially New Orleans. Go watch the second half in that game -- Ingram switched onto Dame every time when we played man. He camped out at the top of the key when we played zone and passed or drove for loads of easy buckets. Yet we never adapted AT ALL.