3 most infuriating moments from Blazers’ Chauncey Billups press conference

There is so much bad to dissect from Chauncey Billups’ awful introductory press conference as the next head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers.

Everything that could go wrong at Chauncey Billups’ introductory press conference did go wrong for the Portland Trail Blazers.

Portland hired the former NBA star of Detroit Pistons and Denver Nuggets fame to be their next head coach. While Billups had been a major candidate for several available positions, a 1997 rape allegation has gained national attention in recent weeks — one that many people never even knew about. Portland still hired him anyway, and the Trail Blazers organization is dealing with the backlash from its decision.

Here are the three worst moments from Billups’ cringeworthy introductory press conference.

3. Trail Blazers PR shutting down a question to Chauncey Billups at the podium

This is the video that will be circulating all across the internet:

Billups was being asked a simple question of what he has learned from the 1997 incident. He seemed completely comfortable with answering it, but the Trail Blazers PR staff shut it down. It would have been better if he just answered the question honestly to provide accountability, but instead, he wasn’t even allowed to speak further.

2. Neil Olshey congratulating Becky Hammon on being a finalist for the job

San Antonio Spurs assistant Becky Hammon was reportedly a finalist for the job. If hired, she would have been the first female head coach in NBA history. Portland general manager Neil Olshey saying Hammon did a great job during the interview process and making it all the way up to ownership only exacerbates things in the most patronizing way possible.

Keep in mind that Portland ownership is in a state of flux …

1. Neil Olshey reaffirming Portland did its homework on Chauncey Billups

To make things even worse, Olshey continued to put his foot in his mouth by reaffirming the Trail Blazers did their homework before hiring Billups. They may have, or not, but to come across this snarky to a reporter covering the team is not a good look for the Portland organization. It is so rare to see an introductory press conference for an incoming head coach go up in flames quite like this.

This new partnership between Billups and the Portland organization is off to a very rocky start, and rightfully so after the embarrassing way this whole hiring process and introductory press conference went down.