Before the signature win of the year, there was the signature.
The Trail Blazers signed head coach Nate McMillan to a two-year contract extension Tuesday, ensuring the man who has overseen the team’s most recent turnaround is not lured away.
McMillan, 46, is in his sixth year with Portland and has led the team to a 235-239 record in the span. He is the second-longest tenured Blazers head coach behind Jack Ramsay, and apparently it didn’t take him long to decide he wanted to stick around even longer.
“The offer was made this morning and it was accepted this morning,” McMillan said on Blazers.com streaming video. “I was busy this morning.”
Taking over a struggling franchise in 2005, McMillan won just 21 games with the Blazers in his first season. But they improved to 32-50 the next year, 41-41 the next, and jumped to 54-28 in the 2008-2009 season — marking the first time Portland had reached the postseason in six years.
And despite his players missing a combined 311 games due to injury, he led the Blazers to the playoffs again last season, and currently has them tied for fifth place in the Western Conference at 37-27.
But listen to him, and he’ll tell you this is just the beginning.
“I’m very excited to have the opportunity to finish what we started,” said McMillan. “Portland is home for me now and I greatly appreciate the bond between the fans and this basketball team. It’s a very special place to be and it’s the only place I want to be.”
McMillan also served as an assistant under Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the past two FIBA World Championships. He has been lauded by the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant, and while there was nothing official, his name was floated around as a possible successor to Phil Jackson in Los Angeles.
Not wanting to take any such chance, Portland locked him down.
“With his NBA and USA Basketball track record, Nate has established himself as one of the premier minds in the game of basketball,” Blazers general manager Rich Cho said. “What Nate has accomplished in the last few years is truly remarkable and getting his contract extended was a top priority for the franchise and me.”
After downing Miami on Tuesday, Portland extended its winning streak to seven games, the organization’s longest since 1991 and the third longest in franchise history. The team’s success has been fueled by the combination of player development and player acquisition.
But while the roster has seen a bevy of changes over the past year, the Blazers wanted to make sure they held on to one of their mainstays.
“Over the past 12 months we have made significant investments in this team, all keenly focused on assembling the right pieces to compete this year and in the future,” Blazers owner Paul Allen said in a press release. “We’ve done that by adding Marcus, Wesley and most recently, Gerald and, now, I’m glad that after productive discussions, Nate is now committed to be our coach for two more years.”
