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Speaking of Plan Bs, league sources say the Portland Trail Blazers would have serious interest in Brown if the Celtics made him available. The Blazers have been among the suitors for Antetokounmpo since the February trade deadline but appear to be on the outside looking in at the moment. Also, league sources say the Minnesota Timberwolves — whose pursuit of Antetokounmpo also appears to have cooled — have strong interest in the Celtics’ Derrick White.
Tiago Splitter has been watching the Bulls from afar. Not just Wednesday morning before his introductory news conference at the Advocate Center, not just earlier this season when he was a thousand miles away trying to right the ship in Portland, and not just years ago when he was a championship player in San Antonio. “I’m actually a Bulls fan myself,” Splitter admitted. “Growing up in Brazil, I watched many games late at night, hidden from my parents at 1 am, watching MJ [Michael -Jordan] games and rooting for the Bulls. So super excited to be here.”
KC Johnson: One of the ways you created buy-in in Portland with a video that's made its way to Chicago is the box, where the defensive player of the game after a win would write his name and drop it into a box. It was an idea you came up with. You said thinking outside the box. Some teams have the belt or the chain but yours was a different wrinkle. Will we have something similar this season in Chicago? And what did that experience mean to you and the Portland team last season? Tiago Splitter: Yeah, I mean, one of our best defenders there was Toumani Camara, right? And never whenever he got like a big stop, he would do the box sign and basically saying, I put that offensive player in the box. And I want to create something different than the belt or the chain and why not, you're going to put their whole squad in the box and whoever is the best defender. something of course to create a bond and the guys had fun with. Still, I don't have a great idea for the Bulls. I have time. But we'll figure out something, but the most important thing you know like I said is the bond.
I'm told that Portland, back at the February trade deadline, was prepared to sacrifice up to four years of first-round draft capital in an Antetokounmpo trade … even without knowing for sure that Antetokounmpo would commit to an extension. It is strongly believed that the Blazers are no longer willing to go to such lengths — since it has been conveyed to them that getting such an extension signed is considered unlikely — and that perceived retreat has only fueled the notion that Miami and Boston have little current company at the forefront of these sweepstakes.
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Joel Lorenzi: Noting his Paris circumstances and last year’s Portland team, I asked Tiago Splitter how he wants to play w his own NBA team. He said that in both those stops, a lot of his style was based on the personnel he inherited. “You’ve gotta adapt your system to the players you have. You have to explore what they do best.”
Joel Lorenzi: Tiago Splitter on why things didn't work out in Portland: "I want to leave that behind."
Bulls on CHSN: "He handled that adversity, he led during that adversity and he did it with class." Bryson Graham on the confidence he has in Tiago Splitter after he led the Blazers to the playoffs as interim head coach this past season
Marc Stein: Wolves assistant Micah Nori is a top candidate for both of the NBA's coaching vacancies, league sources say. Nori is a confirmed Portland finalist alongside Boston's Tyler Lashbrook and among Dallas' top contenders. Tiago Splitter just left the Blazers to take Chicago's job
Tiago Splitter: Portland, These have been great months, and I felt truly welcomed by the city from day one. Thank you to everyone in the organization for your daily dedication and support from day 1. Thank you to the fans for all the love and encouragement. Thank you for the opportunity to be part of this journey. To the players, thank you for your commitment and hard work every day. It was a privilege to work alongside you. See you guys. Thank you, Tiago
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Estonian businessman Taavet Hinrikus is among the new owners of the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers after a group of investors acquired a majority stake in a $4.25 billion deal. Hinrikus invested in the team through his firm Skaala Investments, in which fellow Estonian businessman Sten Tamkivi holds a 3-percent stake, business paper Äripäev writes. "Being among the owners of the Portland Trail Blazers is an important milestone and a huge honor for us," Hinrikus said. "We have always invested where we see long-term value and strong teams — both in business and now in sports."
I've been told by various sources that — in addition to the LA Clippers' Kawhi Leonard and Memphis' Ja Morant — Wizards point guard Trae Young has emerged as another "big fish" backup option for the Miami Heat in the event that Boston, Portland or some other team manages to outbid Pat Riley and Co. in the trade chase for Antetokounmpo.
Jim Owczarski: "Jon Horst does not leak. He has a very small front office and he does not discuss anything. Quite famously, and this might not be known to Celtics fans, the Damian Lillard trade, he literally created a bunker in the Bucks locker room in the offseason. There were people on his immediate staff that did not know what he was doing."
Shams Charania: BREAKING: The Chicago Bulls are finalizing the hire of Portland Trail Blazers interim Tiago Splitter as the franchise's new head coach, sources tell ESPN. Splitter succeeds Billy Donovan as the Bulls' coach after stepping into the head job and excelling in Portland last season.
