On Election Day in Oregon, it's as if Terry Stotts won a second term as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers.
Blazers president of basketball operations Neil Olshey and Stotts came to an agreement on Sunday afternoon before the news was made official that evening. The decision was a no-brainer for both parties following playoff appearances in each of the last three of Stotts' four seasons at the helm in Portland.
The most recent, of course, came after media and oddsmakers predicted as few as 26 wins for the Blazers in 2015-16 after the team saw four starters in the summer before. Instead, Stotts, along with remaining starting point guard Damian Lillard, led the Blazers to 44 wins, the fifth seed in the Western Conference and a first-round playoff victory over the Los Angeles Clippers before falling to the defending champion Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Semifinals. Stotts finished second in Coach of the Year voting for his efforts behind Warriors' head coach Steve Kerr.
The contract extension for Stotts is the first task accomplished of the offseason for Olshey and the Blazers' front office.
"Clearly, we made it known very early that our first offseason priority was to make sure that we got Terry under a long-term deal," Olshey told reporters Tuesday morning. "We did that as expeditiously as we could based on when the season ended, pre-draft. We worked through the weekend and got it done as soon as possible so he can go find some sunshine in Palm Springs."
If Stotts had campaigned for his new deal, perhaps the most ringing endorsement came from his point guard Lillard. The two-time All-Star and All-NBA hopeful has played his entire NBA career for Stotts since the Blazers drafted him sixth overall out of Weber State in 2012, forming a special bond with his head coach over the last four seasons in Rip City.
"Coming into a situation like this, and to have a guy that’s open as he is… The freedom he allows guys, how comfortable he makes guys: he’s a really good coach," Lillard said in his season exit interview on Thursday. "As long as I’m a part of this organization, I would want him to be part of the organization. He deserves it. His first four years, he’s been in the playoffs three of those four years. He won a series in two of our trips to the playoffs. The kind of person he is… I could go on and on about why he deserves to be extended. He should’ve been Coach of the Year. The impact he had on our team this season was huge."
Lillard continued: "At the start of the season, we were 11-20 at one point and he never changed, never panicked. He didn’t come in here yelling and in a bad mood. I thought he did a great job of holding guys accountable and not allowing us to slip up and relax and fall into being a losing team. He was always supportive. At times when I’ve struggled, he’s still shown faith in me. He’s just a great overall person and a great coach. I’m happy to be his point guard, and I think he’s more than deserving of an extension."
Lillard was one of many players who credited their coach for Portland's success in 2015-16, a feeling that Stotts says is mutual.
"It’s touching," Stotts said of his players' respect. "You spend eight months together, and a season can be a long grind. Like I said at the end of the season, this was a special season obviously for me and the staff, but I think it was for the players as well. I don’t think any of us took that for granted. Obviously, I was very appreciative of what they did all season long: how coachable they were, how they came to work every day and I’m just glad that they felt that it was mutual."
"I don't take anything for granted. I've been in this a while, and when things run smoothly, it works for everybody. That's the start of it: when your best player and the coach are on the same page."
While trips to the postseason in three of four years and the Blazers only two playoff series wins since 2000 alone would be enough to garner an extension for Stotts, it's the development of young players along with the team's success that sets Stotts apart from coaches around the league. The Blazers saw the fruits of that development this season as 2015-16 Kia NBA Most Improved Player CJ McCollum, Allen Crabbe and Meyers Leonard emerged as key players in the Trail Blazers success after waiting in the wings during previous seasons.
"The hardest thing, I think, is to be in a situation where you have both development and success," Olshey said. "I think a lot of the time, it becomes one or the other. Sometimes development becomes a victim of the success you’re having on the court. This is a testament, not only to Terry and the staff and the culture they’ve built in terms of where the priorities lie.
"Finding a coach with the versatility to not just manage a game, prepare a team to play, have relationships with veteran players and motivate that group, but to also behind-the-scenes be developing guys so you can build the infrastructure of your organization, it speaks to partnership. Terry’s been a great partner with us, as far as the front office and understanding the organizational goals on a year-to-year basis."
Like any successful leader, Stotts credits the team around him with much of his personal success. With a democratic approach to his leadership, Stotts often hands scouting and development responsibilities to his cast of assistants.
"This past season in particular but throughout our four years, development of our young guys has been a priority from day one," Stotts told the media. "Going back to my first year when we had five rookies and a very young roster as well. Jay Triano, Nate Tibetts, David Vanterpool, Dale Osbourne, Jim Moran, Jon Yim — all these guys — the development that’s been done, and I’m very proud to lead that group, but they deserve the lion’s share of the credit for the development that’s gone on here because they’re out there, they enjoy working with the players, the players respect them, they have great work ethic, they’re on the court and this wouldn’t happen without a great staff."
Stotts' extension begins in 2017-18, following the final year of his current deal after next season.