PORTLAND, Ore. — On the biggest day of Micah Nori’s career, the focus was not on his big chance — being named head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers — but rather on the terms by which he agreed to take the job.
Nori committed Tuesday to sign a one-year contract with Portland, with team options each of the next two seasons, according to league sources. In a league that values security and the time to build sustainable success, it was a highly unconventional decision — both by new Blazers owner Tom Dundon and the 52-year-old Nori.
Nori’s former boss, Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch, said Tuesday that he wished more attention had been paid to Nori’s accomplishment than to the terms of his contract.
“I thought it was a shame that a lot of the story about Micah’s great opportunity was overshadowed by the nature of the deal that he signed,” Finch told reporters before the NBA Draft. “That’s a personal decision. That’s a business decision. That’s between him, the team and the agent.”
Finch and Nori first worked together in 2015 with the Denver Nuggets, where they served as assistant coaches for three years under Michael Malone. When Finch became head coach in Minnesota in 2021, he hired Nori away from Detroit, where Nori was the offensive coordinator under head coach Dwane Casey.
Nori has interviewed for seven head-coaching positions over the years. He was a finalist for jobs in Cleveland, New York and Chicago in recent hiring cycles. Finch said he didn’t have the “guts” to ask Nori about the terms of his Portland contract, because he knows how infrequently head-coaching opportunities arise in the NBA.
“I know this: There’s 30 of these jobs,” Finch said, “They’re hard to get. They’re incredibly rewarding in a lot of different ways. I know he wasn’t focused on certainly money, but he was first focused on opportunity. That’s what we preach to all of our guys here. You should chase opportunity, not money.
“Then, I also know that you’ve got to bet on yourself in this world,” Finch said. “Especially when you’re an outsider. … We consider ourselves a little bit of outsiders. We weren’t raised in the game. We didn’t play at Carolina or Duke, so sometimes your path is just different and you’ve got to take chances along the way. I’m super excited for him.”
Finch said he made Nori his lead assistant in Minnesota because when they were in Denver, he could see they had similar approaches to the game. Finch said Nori’s strengths will be his creativity on offense and his grasp on how to win games by managing the details.
He said the biggest adjustments Nori will have to make in Portland will be establishing authority and building an effective staff.
“I think the two biggest changes (in going from assistant to head coach) are one, it becomes less about basketball and more about leadership,” he said. “And I think he has natural leadership abilities. I think one thing that has handicapped Micah throughout his career is he has never thirsted after the opportunities, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t built for it.
“And I think he naturally trusts those around him, so I think he will be good at delegating,” Finch continued, “He’s not a micromanager. He’s the guy who is going to empower those around him.”
— Jon Krawczynski contributed reporting from Minnesota.
