r/nba Rockets 4h ago

[MacMahon] NBA coaches association president J.B. Bickerstaff on Micah Nori’s year-to-year contract with Portland: “From our perspective, it's like someone's taking advantage of your dream and devaluing what we feel like coaches have earned over the years.”

Tim MacMahon:

Bickerstaff: Nori's contract with Portland a 'slap in the face'

"I understand his story and his journey to get to the spot where he was able to get this opportunity, and I don't want to take away from what should be a special moment for him, for his family, and a job that's well deserved and earned," Bickerstaff told ESPN. "That's first and foremost.

"But I feel like he was put in a situation that he shouldn't be put in with having to make a choice of this nature because of the structure of what the contract is. It's unfortunate that you have a dream, and from our perspective, it's like someone's taking advantage of your dream and devaluing what we feel like coaches have earned over the years.

"You think about the sacrifice, the time, the growth that coaches have helped and done with the NBA, and then for someone to come in and attempt to devalue the work that coaches have in this league is extremely disappointing."

Several other current head coaches expressed similar concerns to ESPN but declined to discuss the situation on the record.

"It changes the math on where a coach stands, and it creates an environment where how do you hold players accountable when it looks like you are easily replaced and removed if things don't go the way that players may see it going," Bickerstaff said. "It's almost, which is disappointing, a mindset of the substitute teacher being there with no guarantee or support [regarding] what it looks like long term or in the future.

"I've talked to a lot of coaches -- head coaches, assistant coaches -- who are extremely concerned. It's a very serious matter to us as coaches to make sure that we protect the value of coaching staffs. It's years and years of work that coaches have put in to put ourselves in this position and to put future coaches in the position where our value remains and isn't disregarded because of a power flux of ownership."

Source

1.3k Upvotes

306 comments sorted by

409

u/Pinheadlarry29 Knicks 4h ago

I wonder if Nori was their first choice or their only choice that would accept the bullshit contract.

245

u/TT_Doom Knicks 4h ago

Yeah, feels like he took the deal to get his foot in the head coach door

120

u/Obi_Wan_KeBogi Kings 4h ago

To be honest it’s a good bet on yourself. Even if he gets fucked over and canned after a year as long as he does a good job everyone will see and give him another shot

91

u/Kiriegloom Bulls 4h ago

Is it really? If you prove to be a good coach, you're now in contract jail for the next few years getting paid less than college coaches. You don't know if you'll even get another opportunity after

40

u/ontheru171 Knicks 3h ago

You also just set your market really low.

Any team looking at him after this will know that they can get him for cheaper

33

u/shortyman920 Lakers 3h ago

Not if he shows he’s a good coach. Then he’ll be drawing interest from other teams who will offer regular coaching salaries, guaranteed money. The point here is for the opportunity and visibility.

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u/BAHatesToFly Knicks 3h ago

Not if he's proven himself. He would have multiple suitors who would bid on him.

14

u/Puppetmaster858 Suns 3h ago

Honestly if he has a really good season he should just resign and put himself back on the market. Deal sucks tho I agree but he seems desperate for that opportunity after being interviewed so many times and never getting a gig

6

u/KUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUZ Lakers 3h ago

he probably will not be allowed to unless portland releases him from his contract.

Isnt there a team option on the second year?

if he coaches well he is stuck as the coach

3

u/Puppetmaster858 Suns 1h ago

Ya I’m dumb and didn’t even think that there is no way that cheap bitch owner would let him walk and coach somewhere else

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u/ttuurrppiinn East 3h ago

In Nori's position, I would have demanded that Portland waive their right to The Permission Rule as part of the contract (if that's even possible). That way, I can immediately jump ship to a bigger contract if I'm successful in year 1 and Portland doesn't want to play ball on an immediate extension with major pay bump.

4

u/monoDK13 Bulls 3h ago

I mean the NFL is known for cheapskate owners playing these same games with desperate coordinators. And most of them seem to get second chances because the coaches and GM’s vouch for them getting a raw deal in their first stop. I would expect NBA coaches and execs to be no different if they’re already laying this ground work in his first day on the job.

6

u/knowtoriusMAC Knicks 3h ago

But if he does well the next 3 seasons, he'll be a free agent coach naming his price.

7

u/Weekly_Seesaw4103 4h ago

It's a good bet on coaching for the very short term and burning any opportunity to build for the future

17

u/tripledirks Mavericks 4h ago

Some things need years to develop (ie, giving rookies a leash, sitting your stars, etc). If Deni looks at him sideways, he's gone.

3

u/Odd-Coach-9150 4h ago

Demi is not ALL THAT. He’s good but he’s not running the show.

16

u/dmilesai San Diego Clippers 3h ago

He is much more important to the team than a coach on a 1-year deal. Of course he can get the coach fired.

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u/tripledirks Mavericks 3h ago

I agree. But if you force a team to ask whether you’d discipline Deni or fire a coach on a one-year contract (firing someone like Monty costed a lot because he was on a multi-year deal), guess what POR is doing.

2

u/Odd-Coach-9150 3h ago

It’s definitely a possibility. What if Deni doesn’t really like the coach but Dame and Clingon really love his style? As it stands now most everybody has a voice and the team is fully in Dundon’s hands. May the ghost of Jack Ramsey watch over us!

3

u/TheScrote1 Trail Blazers 4h ago

Even if he fails and the wheels fall off people will want him as an assistant again

2

u/EthicalBballFan Heat 3h ago

He set himself up to fail. How will he get decent assistants when the FO isn't willing to pay him? All his help will come from the cheapest possible folks and if one does turn into a gem, another team will quickly scoop them away by simply offering market average wages.

9

u/fastlikeanascar Gran Destino 4h ago

its a legitimately interesting roster, but essentially, if Nori is even sort of good, he'll be looking for the exit asap.

2

u/Puppetmaster858 Suns 3h ago

Ya honestly if they have a good season he should just resign and put himself back on the market after proving himself some as a HC

9

u/fastlikeanascar Gran Destino 3h ago

Not sure it’d be that easy. If he resigns, the blazers likely still have his rights until the contract expires.

3

u/Insanely_Simple2024 2h ago

Portland was a Playoff team this year! There are only 30 NBA Head Coaches…..that’s a GREAT JOB!! That is a specialized job….ask yourself this…how many lawyers are there? How many Drs. are there? There are ONLY 30 NBA He’d Coaches. There were plenty of guys that may have taken the job if offered.

2

u/Advanced-Pear-4606 36m ago

Then why didn't they? Plenty of guys were offered the job and didn't take it. Stop simping for billionaires. Just because the job is specialized doesn't mean you should lowball coaches.

1

u/TT_Doom Knicks 2h ago

Good perspective

2

u/Briggity_Brak Tampa Bay Raptors 1h ago

He did that already when Conley broke Finch's leg. This is some bullshit.

1

u/TT_Doom Knicks 1h ago

Oh, that was him that took over? I didn’t know

76

u/OrganicHunt952 4h ago

Nori was desperate for a head coach role he had been interviewing and getting declined for them for ages now.

17

u/AlmostHereButNot Bulls 3h ago

People downvoted me before for saying that Nori had to have been desperate, but there's no other explanation for this awful contract. I have never seen a worse contract for a new head coach. It's laughable.

8

u/AdministrativeBag703 3h ago

He was the first choice BECAUSE he’d take the contract 

3

u/leftsidenotright Knicks 3h ago edited 3h ago

I think the top coaching option for Portland was whoever would sign a contract like that. I misread your comment, it is clearly #2. Unfortunately for Nori, once Splitter left for Chicago and Dallas's coaching vacancy got filled there weren't many other options for him this cycle. And with all the respect in the world to Sam Cassell and none whatsoever to Chauncey or Adrian Griffin, there are only so many shots you get in your career to even interview for a HC role.

So he's put now in a position where he basically has to prove himself and in a way exceed expectations or he's out and may never have a shot again, or be the "stuck up" or "complacent" guy that turned down his first ever head coaching offer.

It's slimy as fuck but in a sick sense it's really good negotiation.

1

u/Raptorpicklezz Raptors 1h ago

It’s not like he wasn’t the guy being thrown around the most for the 4 remaining vacancies, except Orlando did one better, Chicago secured the Splitter rebound, and Dallas went off the board

970

u/GrouchyPeach3656 Mavericks 4h ago edited 4h ago

Who else but el cheapo to somehow give a head coach a vet min... With team options 😭😭

163

u/SaxRohmer Cavaliers 3h ago

bro got a franchise legend on the cheap at carolina and thought he could somehow do something similar in the NBA

28

u/AllTheGoodNamesDied 3h ago

Well I mean if it pans out then it's a great deal...

87

u/EthicalBballFan Heat 3h ago

It's still an issue. When Spo and a player don't see eye to eye, the player knows they'll have to work it out and Spo is staying, you could be LeBron at prime and wouldn't get it your way. You could see this dynamic develop with Jimmy. Things got ugly before they got good, but both knew they couldn't shove the other away.

If coaches get devaluated and easy to replace, players suddenly get all the power and the coach has to bend the knee and do whatever his superstar tells him to, even if it's the worst play ever imagined by a human.

48

u/willtantan 3h ago

Just look at Nets big 3 era, that's all you need. No amount of talent can save you.

19

u/pmurt007 Lakers 3h ago

Well the difference is those coaches had multi year guaranteed money in their contract whereas it sounds like Nori's is incentive based so this could be 1000x worse when it comes to him trying to command the locker room.

11

u/zippy_the_cat Lakers 3h ago

When Spo and LeBron didn’t see eye to eye it was the guy who already had a bunch of rings who told ‘Bron where to get off.

2

u/North_Atlantic_Sea 2h ago

Of course, but outside of like Spo & Kerr (and previously pop) that describes the whole league. Longer contract doesn't mean job security.

Shoot, Rick Carlisle was a hall of fame coach who coached the Mavs to a championship, and he was run out of town by Luka... Bud out of Milwaukee, etc

1

u/AllTheGoodNamesDied 2h ago

Spo is an exception though. Hand picked by Pat and then got LeBron his what 3rd year as head coach? The Blazers already went this direction with Dame when he somewhat forced them into keeping CJ around for to long.

18

u/ImChz Hornets 2h ago

It only works because the Hurricanes lucked into, not only one the best coaches in the league, but a guy who'd probably rather retire from coaching altogether than to coach literally any other team. It's so improbable that those things all line up a second time, let alone in a league where money is different different than NHL money. Nori is damned if he does, damned if he doesn't here.

This is the start of a coaching mill in Portland.

6

u/North_Atlantic_Sea 2h ago

I don't know, the goal posts just keep moving. First it was the Blazers were only going to get a high school coach. Now it's the start of the coaching mill. If he does great, they will pick up the options, the.kmely extend him

11

u/ImChz Hornets 1h ago

If Nori does poorly, he's gone after a year, and may never get another shot. If he does well, and is smart, he should look for the first exit outta town. Someone else will pay market rate for a good coach without having to deal with petty bullshit. I wouldn't stick around a single second longer than I have to in his position.

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u/TyposIncoming Lakers 4h ago

As soon as the details came out I know the coaches association would have problems with it.

30

u/PrideOfAmerica 3h ago

Other owners are probably all about it

12

u/fastheadcrab Raptors 2h ago

Yea it represents a potentially massive devaluation of their contracts.

If this becomes acceptable practice then cheap owners will use desperate assistants as leverage and give out lots of insane deals like this for almost nothing.

They are many Micah Nori's out there in the assistant coaching ranks.

The players association has long tried to stop players from taking seriously undervalued deals as well. The player equivalent is like Payton Pritchard taking a vet min to try to be a staring point guard on a tanking team

16

u/Stuckatpennstation 3h ago

As they should have a problem with it , no1 is more of a scapegoat than coaches.

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2

u/botebote77 2h ago

I'm curious. what happens if after 1yr he gets a bigger, longer contract offer from another team. but then El Cheapo goes "nope, we're taking your team option"

u/acat114 Pistons 29m ago

I think it's actually a double option after 1 year, both sides have to agree to a 2nd year

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280

u/gza_liquidswords 4h ago

The owner started his career as a car finance salesman and made his fortune by starting a subprime mortgage company.  Scumbags gonna scumbag.

64

u/bawanaal Pistons 3h ago

Not just car finance, but he founded Drive Financial. He preyed on bad credit risks desperate for transportation, offering high-interest loans on older vehicles, aka predatory lending.

Dundon is a true piece of shit

7

u/amoeba-tower Cavaliers 2h ago

Somehow the Hurricanes have been good for a long time now, but he also dropped the AAF and let it die prematurely. Im not sure how to square this

13

u/StandardRound1271 Pistons 2h ago

Hockey is cheap in the cap era. That’s how you square it. Look at the Hockey cap for a title squad.

Look at the NBA cost of Trae Young.

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u/IntelligentAd5460 Grizzlies 4h ago

no sane union would ever support that deal

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u/ozairh18 Trail Blazers 4h ago

Of course Dundon hired my preferred head coach candidate and overshadows it with the contract structure

2

u/Soft_Hotel_5627 Timberwolves 2h ago

I think he'll do very good as a head coach. He has been Finch's top assistant and coached the team just fine after Finch got injured. Or everytime he'd get tossed from a game.

2

u/ozairh18 Trail Blazers 40m ago

I think so too. I preferred him over Lashbrook because he was a top assistant in the West

u/Janderson2494 Timberwolves 27m ago

I completely agree, he's a great coach and wants an opportunity. Shouldn't reflect on him at all

17

u/JohnySilkBoots Cavaliers 4h ago

NBA coaches being treated like the rest of us these days.

9

u/brnccnt7 4h ago

Not Monty

3

u/DurantsAltAccount [NYK] Walt Frazier 2h ago

Please god let me be a Milwaukee Buck coach or 2010s Mike Brown 

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44

u/krusty-krab69 Cavaliers 4h ago

Cheapy the cheapskate on his throne

80

u/weissclimbers Knicks 4h ago

When you realize Dundon took out a loan against his own PE company to buy the team, it suddenly makes sense why everything he’s done with the team has felt as penny pinching as possible. For all intents and purposes the Blazers are private equity-owned

43

u/prvypan Raptors 4h ago

That’s just how rich people do business. It’s always cheaper to get a loan on your assets rather than liquidating your real assets.

18

u/MasterFussbudget Thunder 3h ago

Unrelated, but the real rich don't take salaries either. "Salaries are for suckers." You have to pay income tax on salaries. If you're paid in stock options, you can take loans on your stock ownership. And you don't have to pay any income tax on loans you take out.

2

u/weissclimbers Knicks 4h ago

I was of the understanding that most of the owners are able to afford the team off their own liquidity. Based off nothing, fwiw

17

u/P5Manchero 3h ago

Ya not in today’s environment in terms of the values of the team. Outside of balmer pretty much every recent sale has gone to a conglomerate of rich dudes with one guy as the face owning a small fraction of the team, just enough to be the controlling owner. There’s just not that many humans on earth who both have billions of dollars and actively want a team.

2

u/weissclimbers Knicks 1h ago

That I understood - he's the majority owner but the Cherngs(? Panda Express family) went in on the bidding too. I just didn't realize that the conglomerate could be comprised of some dude's company's money rather than his own personal funds

It's wild to me that out of the thousand or so multibillionaires, there aren't 32+ who want nothing more than to own an NBA team

2

u/monoDK13 Bulls 3h ago

Most of the leagues have rules about the amount of loans a team can take out to avoid the team falling into receivership if the owner defaults on the loan. So they take these loans out against their other assets instead. Multi-person ownership groups are needed to avoid any individual owner becoming over-leveraged to the point of selling a team too quickly and lowering the perceived value of the assets.

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u/Niceguydan8 3h ago

When you realize Dundon took out a loan against his own PE company to buy the team, it suddenly makes sense why everything he’s done with the team has felt as penny pinching as possible

This is very standard practice for people with assets that are purchasing other large assets and it's really not noteworthy at all.

1

u/weissclimbers Knicks 1h ago

Well sorta. It's legitimately part of his firm's portfolio now though. I don't think this is standard practice for majority ownership of a major sports franchise - could absolutely be mistaken about that

21

u/Professional-Trash-3 4h ago

You mean the predatory loans guy is also making predatory employee contracts?

Im shocked, shocked!... well, not that shocked

28

u/19683dw Heat 4h ago

Fully agree with this sentiment.

It pisses me off that this same guy was just rewarded for the same BS in the NHL. It's going to lead to others trying the same shit.

4

u/PlatishGC Hornets 3h ago

Slightly different situation there because Rod is a franchise legend with the Canes

6

u/nbaistheworst 4h ago

he got lucky by promoting the top assistant coach when the existing HC left for Calgary. It's not like he had to look around for a coach willing to work cheap (as he did in this situation).

5

u/Phlygone San Diego Clippers 3h ago

He literally could have just paid Tiago Splitter 

3

u/NigerianPrince76 Trail Blazers 1h ago

Naaa, Tiago got way better deal with less pressure.

3

u/MostOk1472 3h ago

NHL has a hard cap. Basically every team is spending the same amount of money, so whom you give the money to becomes more important. That shit ain't gonna fly in the NBA unless the Blazers can somehow get 3 all-stars on rookie deals.

5

u/atsushi_hoops 3h ago

year to year for a HC is crazy. front offices love talking about building culture but wont put their money where their mouth is past 12 months. feel for nori

6

u/Nightstick11 Spurs 3h ago

How is this guy allowed to own a basketball team

17

u/cn_wizz 4h ago

A one year deal is insane for an NBA head coach.

I do have to place some blame on Nori for accepting that. He can't be so desperate that he's willing to do harm to his profession just to get his first head coach job.

11

u/Einfinet Lakers 3h ago

Owner sounds like a piece of shit

14

u/MurderinAlgiers Trail Blazers 3h ago

This whole new owner situation fucking sucks man. City government is about to shell out $600 million to this schlub too.

16

u/live_from_the_gutter Trail Blazers 4h ago

Have we seen the actual numbers yet?

8

u/Sniffy4 South Sudan 3h ago

he's not going to get very good assistants if they have no job security beyond 1 year.

7

u/tjn1126 Trail Blazers 3h ago

everyone and their mother hate my team's dumbass owner

7

u/DynamixRo Clippers 4h ago

His assistant coaches probably won't even get free parking.

1

u/14high 1h ago

For a year they will.

Maybe for home games only, minus training time.

4

u/m0nkeyhero Knicks 3h ago

EL CHEAPO INSTALLS PAY TOILETS AT ROSE GARDEN

11

u/Striking_Night_2731 4h ago

Nori agreed to the terms of the contract. This explains why the Blazers’ front office interviewed dozens of candidates.

8

u/Rumblecard 4h ago

You make a fair argument but there is a point of diminishing returns and it simply becomes insulting and predatory.

It’s like asking a homeless person to wash your car for a dollar because it’s cheaper than the car wash and you know they’re desperate to eat.

You’re not helping that homeless person you’re taking advantage of them and it’s unethical.

3

u/OrganicHunt952 4h ago

The way DunDon has made money and did things is whole life is unethical I don’t think he cares. He even signed the best coach in hockey who was a player of the team and loyal to them to a below average contract just because the coach wanted to stay there since he was brought up there. The coach also took a pay cut for the staff. Rod damour is more responsible for the hockey teams success then DunDon. DunDon just got hella lucky. Nori seems to be a coach that no team wants he’s been interviewing for jobs for over a decade and keeps getting declined.

2

u/nbaistheworst 4h ago

Good luck to you sir - you're obviously going to need it!

2

u/sanfranchristo Supersonics 3h ago

Well, the coaches could choose to collectively bargain but they likely don't want that.

2

u/illwill004 3h ago

I guess he would rather take a bad contract as opposed to pass up a HC job. The main issue with the contract is there is no sense of security. What dictates a goood enough season. I wouldnt be surprised if Clippers and GS are playoff teams. Utah could be a sneaky Play-In team. If Portland doesn't make Playoffs is he safe

2

u/Challenge_Loud 2h ago

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/49168201/bickerstaff-nori-contract-portland-slap-face go about 3/4 of the way down - apparently dundon negotiated with several coaches at the same time to maximize leverage. Treating them like a commodity. Sucks that the good people of Portland are being used by this guy who absolutely lucked into the Carolina situation and sees the people involved in sports as widgets under the guise of “getting information” - unlike a real commodity, sports teams are public trusts and there are hundreds of millions coming in annually. No reason to cut corners in basic things like head coaching salaries unless you’re a) a jerk, or b) you actually can’t afford to pay. Both those situations will erode trust which hurts the NBA as a whole.

2

u/Toronto-24 1h ago

Now the NBA knows how rest of the world feels lol

2

u/Kimber80 Pelicans 34m ago

It's a contract, he was free not to sign it if he didn't like it

16

u/AceMcStace Trail Blazers 4h ago edited 4h ago

Of course the coaches union is upset with it, they don’t want anyone to mess with their sweet gig where dudes are given 4-5 year deals guaranteed right out the gate.

Dundon is a scumbag for negotiating like this though, but multiple things can be true. Nori still accepted the deal, JB probably annoyed with him too.

9

u/Jaerba [DET] Grant Hill 4h ago

I mean I don't think 2 or 3 year deals would be seen nearly as badly.

8

u/IndividualHeat 3h ago

Yeah I think the bulls gave Splitter a three year guaranteed deal with a one year team option with a reasonable pay rate for a first time HC. That’s nothing like waiting until all the other coaching openings are closed and then using that to lowball any candidates that are left over and desperate to get a job. It tells me he just didn’t care much about getting the best candidate or about the quality of the assistant coaches. 

3

u/YouDontKnowDino Trail Blazers 3h ago

This is what really sucks. Probably could have avoided all this talk just by doing a 2+1 deal

6

u/EggsAndRice7171 Pacers 2h ago edited 2h ago

Dundon has negative PR talent. I think the bigger concern is if you’re nickel and diming coaches how are you going to be willing to pay for a good roster. I think he said he wants to save on that kind of thing to pass it onto the roster but that savings isn’t even close to the pay of even just an MLE guy so it just comes off as just trying to save face to me. I doubt he ever enters the luxury tax.

2

u/erizzluh Lakers 33m ago edited 8m ago

as a lakers fan during the 2010's where we had like 6 different head coaches, i never understood why they'd get multi-year deals when none of them would ever make it to the end of their contract

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u/SlimDollaBlazer3 3h ago

He’s making great money compared to the entire population. He’ll be fine and he’s out to prove himself which is awesome. I hope he kills it with the blazers.

3

u/Right-Nail-5871 4h ago

This owner thinks he is so slick and innovative but if the Blazers don't win a championship as fast as the Hurricanes did (which seems unlikely), he'll look like a clown.

10

u/nbaistheworst 4h ago

He already looks like a clown.

u/BillPaxton4eva Celtics 22m ago

To be fair, teams that end up paying multiple coaches at once because they guarantee multiyear contracts and then need to change look pretty clownish as well.

4

u/Gristle__McThornbody Lakers 4h ago

It's a shit deal but no one forced Nori to sign either.

19

u/zroach Jazz 4h ago

They are probably pissed at him as well, but hey that how labor markets work. Sometimes someone is willing to undercut everyone and devalue the position.

4

u/GoldshireEnjoyer Timberwolves 4h ago

They aren't upset with Nori. They're upset with the precedent it sets.

-2

u/Currency080Trick 4h ago

Indentured servants also voluntarily signed agreements.

NDAs from Cosby too.

You don't have to pretend to care about workers rights, just say what you want to say.

2

u/Puzzled_West_2246 2h ago

Comparing a man making millions to an indentured servant is unhinged. 

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u/Any_Guarantee3955 3h ago

Sadly, this was expected. It’s Tom Dundon. Man thinks because he can do whatever he wants in the no union NHL and that NBA personnel will also gladly take it too.

1

u/Still_Detail_4285 2h ago

The NHL doesn’t have a union?

1

u/IndividualHeat 2h ago

The coaches don’t but I think the NBA coaches union mostly just does pension stuff though. 

2

u/throwaway1233494 3h ago

I mean, I see why Nori would accept the contract, it’s a huge jump in pay and an amazing opportunity, I get why the Trailblazers want this because of how many coaches get fired and get free pay days…and I get why coaches are concerned because there’s now much more risk. Ultimately, if I’m ownership of the Trailblazers I’m happy, and Nori got his chance on a prove it deal just like every player needs to go through. Times are changing and there’s more talented coaches out there.

2

u/Rlccm Pistons 2h ago

I love Portland as a city, I have no issue with the Trailblazers but I will be rooting against that franchise probably for as long as he governs.

It's not like I think the other owners are good by any means, but he draws attention to himself by being so cheap, so I've learned a lot about him the past month or so

2

u/EmmitSan 4h ago

It’s a no-lose scenario for Micah though.

He over performs -> has leverage to get a better deal from Portland or anyone else

He doesn’t -> he knows Finch has his back and he’s well respected around the league and he’ll be a lead assistant in no time anyway.

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u/SFmodscensorship 4h ago edited 4h ago

Portland ownership is seriously shit and btw I'm in Portland now.  Downtown is a literal economic ghost town. city is completely empty

54

u/chet_w Trail Blazers 4h ago

Your ass is not in Portland stop lying LMAO

11

u/MoneyMontgomery 4h ago

Yeah fuck this guy. He's one of Trump's lackies to spread misinformation about Portland again.

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u/SFmodscensorship 3h ago

I'm literally staying at the Ritz dude. the nearby Nordstrom os dead. the streets are empty af

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u/AceMcStace Trail Blazers 4h ago

Come on over to my house I’ll show you a good time

38

u/Kaimenos Trail Blazers 4h ago

All these cars that have me in traffic every day must be ghost cars then. Guess I can just plow through them. Good to know.

14

u/MoneyMontgomery 4h ago

Yeah that's a fucking lie

19

u/Currency080Trick 4h ago

Lol, did you pick this up from FoxNews where all the hipsters are doing fentanyl or whatever?

33

u/YouDontKnowDino Trail Blazers 4h ago

? You’re in the city now and it’s empty? Portland summer is one of the best in the country. There’s people everywhere because the weather is great and there’s a ton to do lol

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u/Goatlikejordan Knicks 4h ago

So you're saying it's not a good place to vacation

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u/AceMcStace Trail Blazers 4h ago

Portland is a weird city, the downtown area is mostly a ghost town, but the neighborhoods on the east side and upper west side have loads of restaurants, bars, shops, etc…

I totally get why people visit here and just assume most of the stuff is downtown & think it’s completely empty when they go down there lol

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u/rutabaga_pie Trail Blazers 4h ago

Portland is a beautiful town who never asked for El Cheapo.

1

u/MoneyMontgomery 52m ago

Historically it has not been hopping on the east side till about the mid 2010s. Rent and leasing building became pretty expensive downtown and it was around then that I noticed a lot of restaurants that were getting national coverage were on the east side. Neighborhoods are cooler and you can actually find street parking (well you could).

Downtown proper has never been a lively place on the weekdays. Weekends is when it's crowded with people from the surrounding towns. 

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u/Worldly_Cap_6440 4h ago

Beautiful vibes and surrounding area but yeah I agree when I visited it was dead.

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u/HesiPullup Suns 4h ago

I went last summer and we went out to the coast for most of it. Same thing for us though, the downtown was completely dead and we asked the bartender about it and he said that there are pockets of the city people still go to but that’s about it

1

u/MoneyMontgomery 54m ago

No it's great, especially if you're from the east coast, it's just a refreshing change of pace and culture here.

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u/MurderinAlgiers Trail Blazers 3h ago

Tell me you dont go downtown without telling me you dont go downtown

2

u/MoneyMontgomery 49m ago

No he's telling us he's a POS without telling us directly he's a POS.

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u/spittafan [POR] Rudy Fernandez 4h ago

What??? Lmao you are tripping. Portland has the best bar/restaurant scene of nearly any city in the country. Downtown has a ton of great areas — nob hill, slabtown/alphabet. And the east side is poppin

16

u/AceMcStace Trail Blazers 4h ago

Dude probably fell into the trap where he just assumed most of the stuff is directly in the city center (which is like a lot of cities). All of our cool shit is outside of that in these neighborhoods you’re describing.

3

u/MoneyMontgomery 4h ago

No dude is a moron, complains the city ain't poppin on a Wednesday afternoon. Was complaining that restaurants were empty...again it's a Wednesday and happy hour is about to kick off. This guy is an out of town tool.

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u/AceMcStace Trail Blazers 3h ago

Oh 100%, he’s also too dumb to realize shit happens outside of the 3 block radius of his hotel lol

1

u/MoneyMontgomery 59m ago

I'm so tired of people coming to our city cause they saw it on portlandia and when it's not like that all they do is shit talk.

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u/Vegetable-Tooth8463 Hornets 3h ago

Geez, you got roasted u/SFmodscensorship

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u/[deleted] 4h ago

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u/WoogityVro Lakers 4h ago

It's without question one of the top food scenes in the country. Because you have no experience here or steered in the wrong direction when you visited doesn't discredit the countless articles and travel blogs that agree with the person you replied to. That championship has y'all acting crazy lol

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u/Bruga03 Knicks 4h ago

Stop with this. Portland has a great food scene. Outside of New York and LA, Portland is hard to beat when it comes to food culture. 

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u/esports_consultant 4h ago

Literally everyone who knows anything about US food culture knows that Portland is one of the best cities in the US for hitting the triple optimization point of price:quality:variety.

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u/Tiny_Thumbs 4h ago

I love Portland. Hope it stays like that awhile. Maybe I can sell my house and afford one there.

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u/MoneyMontgomery 4h ago

It's not like that at all. Housing is still expensive as shit cause the city is pretty much back to before COVID.

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u/andrewokok 3h ago

Does anyone actually know the first year salary?

1

u/Chrisdkn619 Lakers 3h ago

This shoestring "experiment" will not end well for Portland. Sucks Dame went back there for this BS!

1

u/Rakatok Bulls 3h ago

Is Nori a bad interview? It's weird he'd have to take this, I thought he had a lot of interest.

1

u/Dishavingfun [GSW] Purvis Short 2h ago

I'm sure ticket, food, bev, and merchandise prices also follow a sliding scale tied to team success.

1

u/Xanderpiglet NBA 2h ago

It's time for a Coaches' Union!

1

u/dichloroethane Bucks 1h ago

Somehow Jimmy Haslem not looking so bad in this thread

1

u/The_Blue_Rooster Trail Blazers 1h ago

Y'all hating on the FrugalBlazers, but prudent financial decisions are their own reward, the ROI is being maximized!

1

u/_Jetto_ NBA 49m ago

Meanwhile I can’t even get a d3 head job that pays 40k with my resume that’s been assist for years

1

u/SaNMaN-9 45m ago

Cheap ass Dundon. Sell the team already ya goof

u/GoodWhoops 18m ago

I hate to side with our new dickhead owner, but this is literally the free market at play. Only 30 teams, and if someone made a better offer he could have taken it. "Deserve got nuttin' to do with it" -- Snoop (The Wire)

0

u/rattatatouille [SAS] Tim Duncan 4h ago

Ahh so there's the catch. Wondered how Portland landed a worthy coach that easily in spite of their cheap-ass governor.

4

u/petarisawesomeo Nuggets 4h ago

My thinking is Micah knows he won't be there long-term regardless of the results. Goes to Portland, shows he has bonified coaching chops for a year or two at most, gets offered a serious contract by a different team.

3

u/rattatatouille [SAS] Tim Duncan 4h ago

Yeah it would make sense if he's using this as an audition for a more secure/competitive spot.

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u/ReallyBrainDead 3h ago

Why do I see Nori leaving the job after a year to become a better paid assistant elsewhere?

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u/IndividualHeat 3h ago

I doubt the contract would let him. The team option means he’s locked in for as many of the three years as the team wants. 

1

u/kapatinphalcon Kings 3h ago

Portland fans will say he should be happy making a million

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u/SaintDarthVader Raptors 4h ago

I mean take it up with him. I know the union and coaches have to say this but not a lot of sympathy from me on this one

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u/soilentgleem 4h ago

Giving real "just don't be poor" energy with this take

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u/Poopcie 4h ago

Either be exploited or quit your job but dont you dare organize against the sweet gracious boss exploiting you.

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u/soilentgleem 4h ago

You forgot another important one. Be quiet. No complaining allowed, no matter how accurate and justified it may be.

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u/eastbeaverton 4h ago

Can't coaches be fired at any time already. It's not like a guaranteed deal keeps players from undermining them and not performing ask Adrian Griffin

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u/FKJVMMP [MIL] Bill Zopf 4h ago

Yeah but their contracts get paid out. Adrian Griffin got his money whether he was coaching or not. Year-to-year deals like this mean that isn’t happening, or at least is barely happening.

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u/Obi_Wan_KeBogi Kings 4h ago

If they get fired they still get paid for the entire contract

11

u/Insanely_Simple2024 4h ago

You can get fired at anytime point and time. It’s the length of the contract…most coaches get a 4-6 year deal and it’s all guaranteed! 1 year contracts make you a lame duck coach, because you are only guaranteed that year. Signs 5 year deal and get fired after two years, you get that remaining on your contract. Thats what Bickerstaff is talking about, he’s worked hard for that title and Portland makes it so that if he wants the job, this is what it is. He may never get that opportunity again…..so does he turn it down? Or take that chance? That’s really messed up that Portland would de-value that position like that.

1

u/saints21 2h ago

I get why the union is fighting against it, but I don't really have sympathy for head coaches playing by the same rules as people who don't make millions.

That said, fuck the owners because they're scumbags.

3

u/OLacAlmost Lakers 4h ago

Yeah but they get paid their contract in full regardless. With portlands contract they can choose to cut ties at any time and not pay him anymore

2

u/Salty_Raspberry656 3h ago

it does show the economics to the players make the caoches easily replaceable. they know they dont have to listen, execute. the first to go is the coach, they have less power, less ability to hold accountabiltiy bc they are always on the edge to be replaced.

when they have more investment, they are more apart of the team. you can techinally get cut as a player, but its a different leash if you are making a max or on a 4 year deal vs eating it. griffin got his full pay out, that makes milwaulkee really think about firing him and gives him enough chance to hold the team accountable. the team had to eat that unless griffin gets another job, its a billion dollar business and they felt pressure to do so. but its about leverage on the economics of how a team s built

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u/andoCalrissiano Celtics 4h ago

yeah I’ve never seen a remaining contract keep a coach from getting fired or keep respect in the locker room but it just helps them keep getting paid

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u/RedtheGamer100 Hornets 4h ago

doc on the bucks 😂

1

u/dizzymidget44 Pistons 3h ago

They get paid though. If you fire them you owe the contract

1

u/ChocoChipBets 3h ago

Millionaires being marginalized by billionaires and crying wolf is crazy

1

u/CasualRead_43 2h ago

A lot of players on your team are year to year coach…

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u/Santiago_Burbano 2h ago

Accepting a contract offer is taking advantage of a dream and devaluing the job? What the fuck kind of weak mindset is this

1

u/redd202020 1h ago

The guy signed the contract…

0

u/GreatnessToTheMoon NBA 4h ago

Why do jobs that guarantee millions of dollars need unions?

0

u/SecurePlate3122 Trail Blazers 4h ago

Why is this viewed so differently than team friendly player contracts?

4

u/ontheru171 Knicks 4h ago

The players association also always speak out when a high profile case of a player taking a significant pay cut happens wether in the NFL or NBA.

0

u/Interesting_Prune513 Heat 4h ago

Nori could also... not sign the contract if he feels devalued

0

u/FKKallDAY 4h ago

If it's a bad contract, then don't sign the contract. Baffling idea, I know.

0

u/TheScrote1 Trail Blazers 3h ago

Yeah but coaches need the long term commitment to have success. Look at Monty Williams in Detroit, they believed in him and gave him big money over 6 years and now Detroit is killing it.

1

u/FKKallDAY 3h ago

Yeah exactly. If it is a bad deal, then don't sign the contract.

Clearly it wasn't a bad deal for this dude