At the start of the season, the Portland Trail Blazers were riding high. For December and the first half of January, they were fighting with Oklahoma City and Denver for the Northwest Division lead, were relatively healthy and their new guys, Raymond Felton and Jamal Crawford were starting to mesh with the rest of the team.
Unfortunately, February could not have gone worse for the Blazers. First they found out they lost Greg Oden for another full season and then they finished the month 6-8 and are in the midst of a three-game losing streak. Now there is lots of talk of trading guys like Raymond Felton and Jamal Crawford.
Some are even calling for a more drastic change. John Canzano of the Oregonian says Nate McMillan could be the next Blazer to leave Rip City.
“In fact, very little of Portland’s 122-110 loss to Minnesota was the fault of the Trail Blazers coach. Still, the record shows McMillan as Saturday’s biggest loser. And be sure, in the end, it’s going to be his head on the platter, served up by a faction of selfish and disgruntled Blazers players who don’t give a rip.
Said one veteran: “You could spend a day in this locker room and you’d figure it out. Some guys really care. Others just want the season to be over.”
It would be really unfortunate if McMillan got fired before the end of the season. He is a terrific coach and has really been dealt a bad hand in Portland.
Things looked great when they drafted LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy and Greg Oden in consecutive drafts and picked up guys like Rudy Fernandez and Nicolas Batum along the way. We all thought they would be what Oklahoma City is now. Then there was instability in the front office and Brandon Roy and Greg Oden’s knees quit on them. Oh, and Rudy Fernandez just became a sad panda in general, which was a little weird.
With everything that has happened to Portland, most people agree that McMillan has done an amazing job adjusting to everything that has been thrown at him. But if he really has lost control of the team you could absolutely see interim general manager Chad Buchanan giving McMillan a pink slip in an attempt to save his own job or because owner Paul Allen told him to let McMillan go.
Portland has one more home game against New Orleans before going on a seven-game road trip and a couple more losses in a row could seal McMillan’s fate.
Canzano also suggested that whether McMillan stays or goes, that it is time to rebuild this roster. He says keep Aldridge, keep Wes Matthews, keep Batum, keep Elliot Williams because those guys want to win and feel free to trade everyone else. Generally speaking I agree.
The Blazers are certainly talented enough to get in to the playoffs. But should they? I say become sellers.
Trade guys like Gerald Wallace and Jamal Crawford for draft picks, get into the lottery with your own pick and you can quickly rebuild around LaMarcus Aldridge and the cap money you will have this summer.
I hope McMillan is around for this, but if not he will be the first or second interview for any team looking for a new coach this summer.
