PORTLAND, Ore. – Mike Dunleavy's job is safe – for at least
another week, anyway.
The Portland Trail Blazers' late-season collapse, which ended
with a first-round playoff sweep by the Los Angeles Lakers, brought
speculation that the coach would be the fall guy.
President and general manager Bob Whitsitt said Monday that
nothing has been decided, and took the blame for making a
series of personnel moves that backfired.
"The things that didn't work out, that's my responsibility,"
he said. "That's my fault. I'm in charge of everything that goes
on in this organization, and I feel bad."
Dunleavy, the 1999 coach of the year, met with Whitsitt after
Sunday's loss and again Monday afternoon, and Whitsitt said he
would decide soon what changes to make.
However, ESPN's David Aldridge reports that while the Trail Blazers have not ruled out any options with regard to Dunleavy's future – including offering Dunleavy a contract extension – two sources say that the team is leaning toward firing Dunleavy next week. Dunleavy has one year remaining on his current contract, and it would be unusual to wait so long before offering him an extension.
"We tried to both talk about the season, the last several
years, where we are, where we're going, but the main thing is, we
both agreed the best thing is, let's get out of here for a week or
two," Whitsitt said.
"I'm sure Mike's as frustrated as I am and more so, because
going into the season, we were all trying to get to the top of the
mountain."
For the first time in his seven seasons with the Blazers,
Whitsitt's job status also was uncertain. But Whitsitt said he had
been assured by owner Paul Allen that he will return next season.
"I think Paul's just like all of us; he's very disappointed,
and he knows when you swing for the fences, you're trying to hit a
home run, but there's also times when you strike out," Whitsitt
said.
Despite an NBA-record $89.7 million payroll, the Blazers never
quite came together as a team, and their lack of unity showed on
the court in some ugly losses to inferior teams. Counting the
playoffs, Portland lost 10 of its last 13 games, and the only
victories came against Golden State (twice) and Vancouver.
They never were a threat to the Lakers in the playoffs, losing
by 13, 18 and 13 points. In the last game, the Blazers played
without Dale Davis and Stacey Augmon, who were suspended for an
altercation in Game 2.
"It's a shame," Portland point guard Damon Stoudamire said.
"It's something we're all going to have to take into the summer --
a long summer -- and think about."
After the Blazers lost to the Lakers in the seven-game
conference finals last year, Whitsitt immediately started
collecting veteran players in an attempt to stop Shaquille O'Neal.
He traded young forward Jermaine O'Neal to Indiana for Davis, and
dealt Brian Grant to Miami and got overweight, overpaid Shawn Kemp
from Cleveland in return.
At midseason, Whitsitt brought Detlef Schrempf out of retirement
and got Rod Strickland off the waiver wire. The additions didn't
make much of an impact for the Blazers, but may have sent the
message to the team that Whitsitt had little faith in their ability
to challenge for the title. After acquiring Strickland on March 5,
the Blazers lost five straight games.
There also was feuding within the team. Steve Smith quietly
grumbled about playing time after Bonzi Wells took his starting
job, and Davis also was unhappy with his reduced role. Late in the
season, Pippen got into a fight with Schrempf in practice. In the
season's final two weeks, Kemp left to enter a drug treatment
program and Wells suffered a season-ending injury.
The biggest headache of all was All-Star Rasheed Wallace, who
set a league record with 41 technical fouls, was ejected seven
times and suspended four games -- two by Dunleavy. After Wallace
threw a towel into the face of teammate Arvydas Sabonis in the
season's second-to-last game, he charged Dunleavy in the locker
room and had to be restrained by teammates.
"There's a part of his game -- that's the referees and the
technicals -- that we have to fix," Whitsitt said of Wallace.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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 Portland GM Bob Whitsitt feels responsible for the Blazers' woes.
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