Over the past five seasons, Micah Nori served on Chris Finch’s coaching staff with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The 52-year-old Nori also served as an assistant coach for the 12 years before that with four different NBA clubs.
He has had some head coaching interviews in the past, but the Portland Trail Blazers finally hired Nori as their head coach this offseason. Long seen as a future head coach, his early results show he should have gotten a head coaching job sooner.
The Trail Blazers are off to a 6-1 start, joining the Philadelphia 76ers as the only teams with fewer than two losses. The Timberwolves will see a lot of Nori over the next few weeks.
Timberwolves meet with Nori’s Blazers three times in less than a month
Looking at Minnesota’s upcoming schedule, they play Portland three times in less than a month. The Timberwolves have consecutive home games against the Blazers on November 16 and 17. On December 1, the Wolves are heading to the Moda Center in Portland. Unfortunately, Anthony Edwards is slated to miss all three games.
Portland’s record will be different before the two teams meet. They have five games on their schedule before the November 16 meeting. Other than the Sacramento Kings, those games are rather difficult (two against the Oklahoma City Thunder, one apiece against the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs).
Through seven games, the Trail Blazers have exceeded expectations. According to Cleaning the Glass, Portland has the league's best offensive rating and third best net rating. This is despite Shaedon Sharpe getting hurt before the regular season and Ja Morant missing the last three games.
No one on the Wolves or in the fanbase has hard feelings about Nori leaving. He worked hard to earn a head coaching job, so the Target Center crowd will give him a nice ovation on November 16.
Only has 1 guaranteed year on deal
Unfortunately for Nori, he’s in a bit of a lame-duck situation. His contract is for three years, but the team has options in years two and three. J.B. Bickerstaff, president of the National Basketball Coaches Association, was highly critical of the contract's structure.
Nori’s contract money was never disclosed, but he's expected to be one of the lowest-paid head coaches. Reports have widely highlighted how new Trail Blazers owner Tom Dundon has been using penny-pinching methods with the team.
Nonetheless, if Portland's success continues, Nori will undoubtedly have his option picked up for next season. Timberwolves fans should universally be happy for him, even if they will be cheering against him on November 16 and 17.
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