After former Head Coach Chauncey Billups was suspended by the NBA in late October for gambling-related charges, the Portland Trail Blazers named assistant coach Tiago Splitter as Acting Head Coach. Since
then Splitter has accumulated a 5-3 record with wins against the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder to his team’s credit.
Now one writer, Aaditya Krishnamurthy, is suggesting that the Blazers drop “Acting” from Splitter’s title, giving him the job for the duration.
The arguments in the article are fairly basic and probably overstated. But Krishnamurthy is among the first to bring up a question that others are going to start to ask. When is the right time—if there is one—to name Splitter to the post permanently?
We should note something we mentioned right after Billups was suspended. Formally dismissing him may wait for resolution of his legal predicament. If Billups is exonerated, the terms of his contract were probably not violated. That would leave the Blazers a choice between reinstating him (should the NBA allow) or paying off the remainder of his deal, which reportedly runs through 2028. If Billups is convicted or takes a plea bargain, it may violate the moral turpitude clause in his contract, which could allow the Blazers to fire him without having to pay him the remainder of the money owed him. That consideration alone may delay the franchise naming a new head coach formally.
Either way, though, the Blazers will need to make a decision on Splitter at some point. Are any Blazer’s Edge Readers convinced yet that he’s the guy for the job? What criteria would he need to meet before you would make that move and how long do you think it would take to sway you? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!
