Thursday, March 15th, 2012 at 4:05 pm  |  35 responses

Blazers Fire Coach Nate McMillan


Coach Nate McMillan clearly wasn’t on the same page with the under-performing Blazers this season. Following last night’s blowout loss to the Knicks, sources confirmed with Yahoo! that Portland has fired McMillan. He will be replaced by 34-year-old former video intern Kaleb Canales: “Portland has fired coach Nate McMillan, league source tells Y! Sports.”

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  • jayrose

    so much went down today…..but this isnt so surprising.

  • BoWeezy24

    Here Comes Mike D’antoni :) I’m JK

  • http://slamonline.com LakeShow

    Great coach. Someone should snag him. Lakers…cough cough… JK… Actually no i’m not.

  • IamYOU

    Up next stan van gundy…

  • YaBoy

    McMillan to the Knicks!

  • BoWeezy24

    ^ I Hear Ya.

  • JoeMaMa

    “Former video intern”….at which point, I came to the conclusion that having a billion dollar either makes you completely crazy or able to afford drugs no one’s ever heard of. Paul Allen..really? Well, enjoy what’s left of your team.

  • http://www.slamonline.com Red

    I KNEW this was coming, damn I feel cool.

  • JoeMaMa

    …and I know that Spoelstra was a video intern…under Riley’s tutelage. And Mike Brown…under Popovich’s tutelage. This dude? Under Paul Allen’s money stack.

  • http://slamonline.com The Philosopher

    Agree with YaBoy.
    McMillain is a great coach.
    Him and Mike Woodson would be a great bench.
    In my opinion.

  • abaci

    thats a shame they should have waited until the season was over

  • el_larsen

    mcmilla to the clips

  • Heals

    Funny how perceptions change. Many touted him as a COY candidate 2-3 weeks into the season (as well as in seasons past), now he can’t get through to his guys so he’s gone…

  • kip

    Kaleb Canales has a bright future. Obviously our dear Blazers are throwing in the towel on the season. The ship has sunk. I am sad that Nate is gone. Wallace doesn’t make me too upset, nor Camby. I hope we are healthy and with a quality point guard next year. I think Felton can be that guy, but this year has been so bad. I hope the future is brighter.

  • http://thetroyblog.com Teddy-the-Bear

    I’m also on the fledgling McMillan-to-Knicks bandwagon. Make it happen, Dolan!

  • roybot

    @Heals Nate is a great coach. I’m sure losing the heart and soul of the team (and our best player by far, Aldridge is at his best as a 2nd option imo) in Brandon Roy, then trying to fit Felton, Jamal, and Wallace into his half-court philosophy, which they cannot do as evidenced by this season, played a big role into his struggles as a coach. The team failed McMillain, he didn’t fail them, but like all coaches, he must be the scapegoat because the coaches are easier to replace than the players. Coming from a Blazer fan, I hope he ends up as assistant on some contender and helps them to a chip so Paul Allen can see the mistake (among many) that he made.

  • http://idunkonthem.blogspot.com albie1kenobi

    i don’t get why Crash didn’t work out for the Blazers. a hard-nose, defensive-minded forward should have been a perfect fit for a hard-nose, defensive-minded coach.
    Nate will be hired very soon.

  • http://slamonline.com The Philosopher

    albie1kenobi is a cool assed screenname.

  • http://cnbc.com JTaylor21

    What is up with video interns being hot commodities for coaching jobs?

  • http://www.slamonline.com house

    @JTaylor21: no idea…..

  • http://slamonline.com The Philosopher

    JT21:
    The video guys have the work ethic that maybe some of the “old hens” don’t have.

  • -MAS-

    What has Nate won lately?

  • http://slamonline.com The Philosopher

    He’s a coach with Olympic credentials, and he’s seen it all.

  • Manny Canales

    S/O to coach K! I know him personally and he has a very bright future, knows the game very well. Goodluck to him!!! Represent Laredo, Texas!

  • http://idunkonthem.blogspot.com albie1kenobi

    @The Philosopher: thank you. this name has been with me since the days of Compuserve and AOL. if you remember what those names are.
    @JTaylor21: i think it has something to do with their ability to break down games and analyze them in excruciating details. as for how does that factor in actual coaching (i.e. designing plays and managing players), i have no idea.

  • IAMORANGE4EVER

    Nate is a young Doc.

  • fruizm

    This Kaleb Canales guy is about to become every sport management major and intern’s dream!!!

  • IAMORANGE4EVER

    lol

  • http://slamonline.com LakeShow

    Uhhh.. Doc is 3 years older than Nate…
    - I’m athletic because I can sing really really well.

  • Paul H

    Greg Oden just got waived as well. Such a shame.

  • RunNGun

    Rambis to the Knicks. D’Antoni to the Blazers. Nate to the Bobcats.

  • permaculture james

    This season started so well for the Blazers. I finally had a ‘home’ team to root for rather than changing year to year. What the hell happened? They gave the Mavs the best challenge in the playoffs last year. Then they turned into zombies after that ref call that would have won them the recent OKC game. They went from an athletic fast breaking team grounded by some veterans to a team without confidence and chemistry quitting after the first slap in the face. I know so much of the personnel is new and I have had my doubts about Nate’s motivational style but was still willing until recently to say it was a phase. A shocking unravelling.

  • http://Www.achtamsterdam.nl Phil

    McMillan will get another job….soon.
    D’Antoni too the wizards…kinda lke that idea, better then the other candidates around for them.
    On another note…would Phil Jackson consider the clippers? I mean..there is def some bad blood them him and the lakers management, wouldn’t put it past phil. Although will donald sterling involved…probably won’t happen

  • MikeC.

    @Phil no way Sterling ponies up the $ to get Jackson. He’s won way too much to work for minimum wage.

  • dma

    when you’ve lost every game in march by double digits, and down 40 to boston and new york, you know the main players have given up playing for you.

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