Blazers sign McMillan to two-year extension

The Trail Blazers have signed Head Coach Nate McMillan to a two-year contract extension, the team announced today.

McMillan is currently in his sixth year with Portland and has led the team to a 234-239 record in that span. The 46-year-old is the second-longest tenured Trail Blazers head coach behind Jack Ramsay.

“I’m very excited to have the opportunity to finish what we started,” said McMillan in a press release. “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.”

Taking over a struggling franchise in 2005, McMillan led the Blazers to a 54-28 record in the 2008-2009 season — vaulting the team into the postseason for the first time in six years.

And despite a roster replete with injuries, he led Portland to the playoffs last season and currently has it in sixth place in the Western Conference at 36-27. Additionally, he served as an assistant under Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the past two FIBA World Championships.

“With his NBA and USA Basketball track record, Nate has established himself as one of the premier minds in the game of basketball,” said Blazers general manager Rich Cho. “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.”

Blazers owner Paul Allen expressed delight in signing McMillan as well.

“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,” Allen said in a 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.”