5 potential replacements for Terry Stotts as Trail Blazers head coach
4. David Vanterpool
Vanterpool was a Trail Blazers assistant coach from 2012-19 before leaving to become associate head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves. When head coach Ryan Saunders was fired in February, two notable Trail Blazers questioned why they went outside the organization to hire Chris Finch when they had Vanterpool right there in-house. Vanterpool will not be back with the Timberwolves next season.
How the hell do you not hire David Vanterpool and he’s right there on the bench... and has been in front office SUCCESSFULLY and on the front of a bench of a winning team SUCCESSFULLY (7 years) ... and also has played a major role in the development of a dominant backcourt smdh!
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) February 22, 2021
Make it make sense. Respectfully. https://t.co/4crtNzWV0W
— CJ McCollum (@CJMcCollum) February 22, 2021
Vanterpool is considered a defensive guru, and Minnesota’s results on that end of the floor were pretty awful. He has interviewed for multiple head coaching jobs over the years, and while he has no head coaching experience, that has become far less of a thing around the league in recent years. When the right opportunity comes, Vanterpool will be a head coach.
Sources say long time #Blazers assistant David Vanterpool - most recently with the #TWolves - will be on the short list for several HC jobs. DV is very well respected among league circles, both in terms of players and executives. Don’t sleep on the #Pelicans should SVG be fired.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) June 5, 2021
If Lillard will have heavy input in the Trail Blazers’ coaching search, and he should, Vanterpool is surely high on his list. Maybe Vanterpool comes back to Portland as the lead assistant under who is hired as the new head coach, but there’s no reason he won’t get a long look to replace Stotts as Portland considers all options.