Blazers head coach Terry Stotts named Western Conference Coach of the Month for December
(AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts was awarded the Western Conference Coach of the Month award for December Monday morning.
The Blazers were 13-3 in December and now stand in second place in the brutal Western Conference. In addition to the their sterling record, they were able to get key wins against on the road at San Antonio, at Oklahoma City and at New Orleans without Robin Lopez.
They went 7-1 in December in games without Lopez after he broke his hand against the San Antonio Spurs on Dec. 15. Stotts mixed his line-ups and rotations masterfully, particularly in late-game situations during the month.
It’s Stotts’ second such honor as Blazers coach. He was awarded Coach of the Month for the month of November last season.
Other Western Conference coaches who were nominated include Dallas’ Rick Carlisle, Doc Rivers of the Clippers, Oklahoma City’s Scott Brooks and Golden State’s Steve Kerr.
Atlanta’s Mike Budenholzer, Stotts’ coaching counterpart in Portland’s loss Saturday night, took home the honors for the Eastern Conference.
Erik Gundersen
Erik Gundersen is the Trail Blazers beat reporter for The Columbian. He's a graduate of the Allen School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon in addition earning a degree in Spanish. He's covered the NBA for four seasons. You can also occasionally find his work on ESPN.com's NBA section for their TrueCities series. He also fist-bumped with Kanye West once. Follow @BlazerBanter on twitter for more Blazers and NBA news.