[Henderson] League sources including Doris Burke are saying the Portland Trailblazers treatment of Tiago Splitter is “the most vicious and disrespectful thing they’ve encountered in 30+ years” as they’re likely looking for the cheapest coach available
Citing reports from *The Athletic* and other news outlets about new owner Tom Dundon’s cost-cutting measures, ESPN analyst Doris Burke criticized the Portland Trail Blazers for the way they are approaching the future of their head-coaching position and interim head coach Tiago Splitter’s potential candidacy.
“If the remuneration is in any way accurate about potential salary for the head coach, it’s not in the vicinity of even the low average,” Burke said during the ESPN broadcast of Game 5 of Portland’s first-round series against the San Antonio Spurs.
*The Athletic’s* Jason Quick reported that rumors were that Dundon was attempting to lure prospective coaches with a $1-1.5 million salary. However, a team source shared that “it’s just not true. He’s talked to everybody, and, of course, some coaches he talks to would be less expensive than others. The goal is to find the best person.”
Speaking to external candidates about a coaching vacancy before the job opens is frowned upon in league circles, league sources told Quick. Before Game 5, Splitter told ESPN he had not been told anything about his future.
“The amount of disrespect (toward Splitter) that’s going on is beyond description,” a league source told Quick. “It’s like, every day, a new name is coming up. It’s the most vicious thing I’ve encountered in 30-plus years.”
Splitter, 41, became interim head coach in October, after Chauncey Billups was arrested in a sweeping federal investigation into illegal gambling activities, with federal prosecutors alleging Billups conspired to rig high-stakes poker games backed by the Mafia.
In the absence of Billups, Splitter led the team to a 42-40 record and the franchise’s first playoff berth since 2021.
“I’m just trying to be a pro,” Splitter told reporters before Portland’s 106-103 Game 2 win over San Antonio. “Try to focus on my locker room and my staff and try to stay and think about basketball, same way when I got the job and all the stuff that was going on.”
Dundon, who took over as Blazers owner in late March, has enacted aggressive cost-cutting measures in every facet of the franchise, including cutting down on support staff traveling with the team, excluding players on two-way contracts from traveling to the first two road playoff games, not offering free T-shirts to fans in Portland for the two home playoff games and, according to *The Athletic,* requiring team staffers to check out early from their hotel in Phoenix before the team’s Play-In Tournament victory over the Suns early to avoid late fees.
The players on two-way contracts — Caleb Love, Chris Youngblood and Jayson Kent***—*** did travel with the team for Game 5 in San Antonio.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is not as immediately concerned about Dundon’s spending habits with his franchise. Dundon previously bought the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes in 2017; that franchise has made the playoffs every season since 2018.
“I think the Hurricanes, I’m not following the NHL every night, but he knows what he’s doing,” the commissioner said on Barstool’s “Pardon My Take” podcast. “His mindset is, and I’m just getting to know him, but I don’t think it has as much to do with the cost of the T-shirts or wherever he’s saving money. It’s a mindset on how to run a business.”
Burke, a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame member, is evidently not as optimistic about Dundon’s tactics.