Blazers Rumors: 'No Reason to Believe' Terry Stotts Will Be Fired as HC

The Portland Trail Blazers have been one of the NBA's biggest disappointments, going from conference finalist a year ago to barely staying alive in the race for the No. 8 seed, but coach Terry Stotts' job is reportedly not in jeopardy.

Sam Amick of The Athletic reported there is "no reason to believe" Stotts will be in any danger of being fired. The coach is under contract through the 2021-22 season after signing an extension last April.

Portland has made the playoffs in each of the last six seasons, many times outperforming preseason expectations. That has not been the case in 2019-20, with the Blazers sitting at a disappointing 26-32 and 2.5 games behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the final playoff spot.

The Blazers' playoff dreams may be determined by how they handle the next couple of weeks. Damian Lillard has missed the team's last three games due to a groin strain and does not currently have a timetable for his return. The Blazers are 1-2 without Lillard and host the Boston Celtics on Tuesday before hitting the road for three games against Eastern Conference foes.

With the New Orleans Pelicans looking strong since Zion Williamson's debut and the Grizzlies exceeding all expectations, Portland's playoff streak is in severe jeopardy.

The Blazers also have very little wiggle room to improve their roster. The contracts of Lillard and CJ McCollum hamstring Portland's books for the foreseeable future, with the backcourt duo making an average of more than $80 million per season from 2021-23. 

While Stotts' job may not be in jeopardy at the moment, the reality of Portland's cap situation makes organic improvement of the supporting cast his top priority moving forward. 

Stotts previously coached the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks, leading those teams to the playoffs just once in four seasons.