Trail Blazers’ Tiago Splitter ‘just trying to be a pro’ with reports about Tom Dundon, coaching search swirling

Tom Dundon’s first month as Portland Trail Blazers owner hasn’t been subtle, to say the least. Reports have been rampant, some concerning the eyebrow-raising cost-cutting measures the 54-year-old Texas billionaire has taken to frugally run the Blazers — tactics reminiscent of how he slashed expenses after buying the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes in 2017 — and some have centered around his not-so-secret search for a new head coach.

It’s not often an NBA team is actively looking for a new head coach amid a playoff run, but that’s reportedly the situation Dundon thrust his new franchise in.

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NBA reporter Jake Fischer reported this week that Dundon had started speaking to 15-20 prospective candidates. That list reportedly included college coaches and NBA assistant coaches.

Meanwhile, the Blazers’ current head coach, interim Tiago Splitter, has Portland on the rise. Splitter, a former NBA center who stepped in for Chauncey Billups after the Basketball Hall of Famer was arrested in an FBI gambling probe, piloted the Blazers to a 42-40 record. Then he oversaw a play-in tournament win that clinched the No. 7 seed in a Western Conference crowded with contenders. Most recently, on Tuesday night, he watched as his group rallied for a 106-103 Game 2 victory over the team that drafted him in 2007.

With a statement-making fourth quarter, Portland surged past a Victor Wembanyama-less San Antonio Spurs squad to tie the teams’ first-round playoff series 1-1.

“Just trying to be a pro,” Splitter told reporters pregame, per ESPN, regarding the outside noise surrounding his position.

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“[I] try to focus on my locker room and my staff to stay and think about basketball. Same way when I got the job and all the stuff that was going on.”

Splitter, a Brazilian native, is now 41 years old. In his playing days, he helped the Spurs win an NBA championship in 2014. Since retiring in 2018, he’s waded his way into the coaching ranks. After catching on as a Brooklyn Nets pro scout with some on-court development responsibilities during the 2018-19 season, he served as assistant for the Nets from 2019-23 and…

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Author : Andy Backstrom

Publish date : 2026-04-22 13:36:00

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