When Damian Lillard went on-the-record with support for Jason Kidd as the next head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, officials were caught off guard.
Several staffers were also surprised that Lillard's public support was not for David Vanterpool, who he worked with previously when he was an assistant coach and who he endorsed for the head coaching job of the Minnesota Timberwolves back in February. Vanterpool was on the coaching staff of the Wolves when they hired Chris Finch from outside the organization after firing Ryan Saunders.
Chauncey Billups was a name Lillard and Neil Olshey were aligned on and who the Blazers eventually hired.
