(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
After the Portland Trail Blazers agreed to a blockbuster trade to send superstar guard Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks in a three-way deal that also involved the Phoenix Suns, the franchise had officially begun a rebuilding process, with the team fully invested in guard Scoot Henderson being the future face of the team.
Unfortunately for head coach Chauncey Billups, this meant he’d had to deal with a rough stretch moving forward, as the Blazers were expected to be one of the worst teams in the league and looking to the NBA Draft Lottery rather than the NBA playoffs.
As expected, the Blazers did end up struggling immensely during the 2023-24 NBA season, as Billups’ squad finished the year with a disappointing record of 21-61, which was the worst record in the Western Conference.
Along with Henderson not living up to expectations during his first season with the Blazers, Billups had to deal with several issues that come with coaching a rebuilding team, including putting young players in check when they make silly mistakes on and off the floor.
Billups recently appeared on Carmelo Anthony’s 7 p.m. in Brooklyn podcast and shared a story about one of his players sharing one of his dunk highlights on social media at halftime of a game that the Blazers were losing by 18 points and how he had to set him straight via NBA Central.
“I grinded his a** up,” Billups said.
Chauncey Billups reveals that a Blazers player posted a highlight of his dunk at halftime while down 18 points
“I grinded his a** up”
( @7PMinBrooklyn )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 23, 2024
As a player who was known for being tough during his time with the Detroit Pistons, it comes as no surprise that the one-time NBA champion would put a young player in his place for making such an ill-advised move during a game.
It’ll be interesting to see how things progress for the Blazers and Billups during the 2024-25 NBA season, as Portland could be in for another rough year in which the head coach’s job could be in jeopardy.
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