A few hours before the regular season finale against the Los Angeles Lakers, General Manager Joe Cronin, fresh off a contract extension himself, announced that coach Chauncey Billups had also agreed to remain Portland’s leader for at least a few more years. While continuity is certainly a benefit in most professional sports, for the Rip City faithful, it has to feel like one of those “Are we really doing this?” moments.
Let’s give him his flowers first: “Big Shot” Billups is one of the best guards to lace them up. The unquestioned leader of those iconic mid-200s Detroit Pistons that toppled the Kobe and Shaq Lakers in ’04, his clutchness, basketball IQ, and grit were second to none. But when you step back and look at his resume as a coach, you’re left less than impressed.
Let’s talk numbers–since Billups started his tenure in 2021, his dismal 116-211 coaching record is the fifth worst by winning percentage over that span, just behind perennial second-division teams like the Charlotte Hornets and the San Antonio Spurs. That includes four straight seasons without a postseason appearance, after making playoff trips for eight consecutive years from 2013 to 2020. Particularly after the implementation of the Play-in Tournament, it’s tough to spin that as progress. Yes, there have been injuries and roster shakeups, but ultimately, this is a results-driven business, and Billups hasn’t shown that he can raise a sinking ship.
Now, defenders of the decision will point to defensive improvements this season, ranked fourth best in the league after the All-Star Break. But even with that boost, they still finished with a 36-46 record and nowhere near a spot in the postseason. Some incremental progress? Yes. A sign that Billups has what it takes to lead Portland back to basketball relevance? Not so much.
Offensively, it’s grim: the Blazers were ranked 22nd in points per game and 24th in offensive rating–a marked improvement from last season after placing 29th in both those categories, but that’s nothing to write home about. Since Billups took over, Portland is the 5th-worst offense in the league, averaging 110.2 points per game. For being one of the most prolific three-point shooters of his era, Billups and his staff are archaic and unimaginative on that end of the court, eschewing modern, effective schemes for bad spacing (like playing DeAndre Ayton and Robert Williams III at the same time) and tough isolation plays with low-efficiency scorers like Anfernee Simons and Jerami Grant.
As the Blazers are knee-deep in a rebuild, they need to consider the development of their young cornerstones like Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, and Deni Avdija. On paper, a Hall-of-Famer with firsthand championship experience sounds like a smart move. But being a great player does not make one a great coach–ask Isiah Thomas. Or Wayne Gretzky. Or Don Mattingly. The point is that coaching is a completely different skill set. You need strategy, adaptability, and the ability to bring the best out of your players. The jury is still out on whether Billups has shown these qualities.
What’s frustrating is that this feels like the Trail Blazers are playing it safe. The NBA is teeming with talented coaches–innovators who could inject fresh energy and new ideas into the franchise. By sticking with Billups, Portland may have missed a chance to shake things up and go in a new, bold direction. Instead, it feels like they’re doubling down on mediocrity.
Not to mention the fans. One of the most passionate fan bases and best home crowds in the Association, they’ve been extremely patient, watching this club struggle year after year. Extending Billups isn’t exactly building on the momentum of this past regular season. People want to see a commitment to change, to a winning culture, not a vote of confidence in the same-old, same-old.
At this point, the pressure is on Billups to deliver. With newly minted long-term deals, Owner Jody Allen has hitched their wagon to this current leadership structure. Whether that leads to a resurgence or more disappointment remains to be seen, but the Blazers are playing a dangerous game, betting on continuity when the results so far have been so underwhelming.
So, what’s the takeaway from all this? Extending Chauncey Billups might seem logical to some–continuity and stability have their place–but it’s hard to justify the lack of meaningful progress. For a team struggling to find its footing in an ultra-competitive Western Conference, this feels like a step in the wrong direction.
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