Nate McMillan leaving for...

[Indy]

Portland!!!!!

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2101994

To be honest, I'm totally shocked.

[Kemp]

Nate McMillian coaching the Blazers. I don't like this.

[Flasher]

Interesting. Ray got screwed?

[Indy]

Interesting. Ray got screwed?

That's what I'm thinking.

[Dean]

damn. beat me to it. heres the article from the blazers website anyways.

http://www.nba.com/blazers/news/Trail_Blazers_Breaking_News-146169-41.html

TRAIL BLAZERS TO HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE
WILL INTRODUCE NATE McMILLAN AS NEW HEAD COACH THURSDAY

July 6, 2005

The Portland Trail Blazers will hold a press conference tomorrow, Thursday July 7, to introduce Nate McMillan as the club’s 11th Head Coach in team history. McMillan will be introduced at an afternoon gathering at the Washington Park Amphitheater at 4:30 p.m. Trail Blazers fans are welcome and encouraged to come to Washington Park and attend the public introduction of the new coach. The team will have prizes for kids and provide complimentary hot dogs and popsicles. Fans are encouraged to take public transportation.

McMillan joins the Trail Blazers after serving as Head Coach of the Seattle Supersonics since November 27, 2000, compiling a record of 212-183 (.537). This past season, he led the Sonics to a 52-30 record and a Northwest Division Championship. The Sonics made it to the Western Conference Semi-Finals before bowing to the eventual NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs in six games. Also during this past campaign, McMillan won his 200th game as Sonics Head Coach.

Having spent his entire 12-year playing career with Seattle, Nate McMillan was named the Sonics interim Head Coach on Nov. 27, 2000 after serving as assistant coach for the previous two seasons. As the 12th Head Coach in the franchise’s history, and the youngest in the NBA, he made his debut with a 105-93 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers at the Rose Garden on Nov. 28, 2000. Two nights later, he coached his first home game, leading the Sonics to a 121-88 win over the L.A. Lakers at KeyArena -- the team’s second largest margin of victory in the 2000-01 season.

Under McMillan’s leadership, the Sonics swept their season series 4-0 against the Lakers for just the second time in franchise history (1993-94). He led the Sonics to their most successful month in March, when the team won 10 of 11, including a season-high six-game winning streak from March 11 to March 19, to finish the month with a 12-5 record.

In McMillan’s first full NBA campaign as a head coach, he guided Seattle to a 45-37 regular-season record and the seventh seed in the 2002 Western Conference Playoffs. Losing their opening postseason series to the San Antonio Spurs, the Sonics were the only team in the West to take their First Round opponent to a Game Five.

McMillan was born Aug. 3, 1964. He and wife Michelle have two children, Jamelle and Brittany Michelle.

i wouldnt of left if i was him. seattle were the pwn.

[Amphatoast]

shocking indeed. He was with seattle his whole NBA Career and up to this point coaching career. Imagine Reggie Miller coaching the pacers then leave them

[[L3]1101]

Allen should've waited til McMillan made his decision....

[kevC]

Hopefully he'll let Ha Seung-Jin play more

[Riot]

I thought for sure the Blazers were going to hire Terry Porter. Now where does Seattle look? Flip Saunders is going to Milwaukee or Detroit depending on Larry Brown's decision. Will Seattle get Porter or look at an assitant somewhere? Normally I would look at the assitant coaches but they were mostly cleaned out when Dwane Casey left to Minnesota.

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

Normally I would look at the assitant coaches

There's still P.J. Carlesimo and the Warriors' assistant, I forget his name...

[beau_boy04]

I wonder who's taking Sonics coaching vacancy then? and why in the hell did he leave for the Blazers? why do they have? maybe they showed him lots of dough and he couldn't resist.

[Jugs]

Yay Portland made a good move, i love Portland, i think Zach Randolph will be the most dominant player in the NBA ... eventually ..... hopefully....

[Cu/Clux/Clan]

3 words:Sonics in danger.

[MaD_hAND1e]

Mr. Sonic..... grrrr... what do we call him now?

and yea... Ray Ray got shafted big time... he might demand a trade somewhere along this offseason

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

Mr. Sonic..... grrrr... what do we call him now?

Mr. Warden.

[Andrew]

Surprising indeed, given he's been a lifetime Sonic. With the right personnel I think he'll do a good job in Portland though.

[Ma$ey MF'er!]

I thought you couldn't sign with a team until the 22nd and doesn't Ray only have a verbal agreement which if you ask Carlos Boozer don't mean shit?

[Andrew]

I don't think the same restrictions apply to coaches.

[Joycean Summons]

I think he means that Ray has still got a chance to get out of Seattle.

[Doobie]

i think hes trying to say that ray allen isnt really screwed over . hes not yet a sonic officially till the 22nd.

[Indy]

I think he means that Ray has still got a chance to get out of Seattle.

That's true.

[maes]

Shocking and depressing.
I can only assume it was a personal issue w/ the owner, who is less than well-liked in Seattle.

Flip and a lot of NBA coaches don't run the same style of game that McMillan does, and what Seattle is built for. They're an unusual team, with emphasis on shooting and off-ball movement versus 1on1 mismatches like most NBA teams.

Best bet for Seattle, try to recruit a college coach, becase the main assistant coach is now head coach for Cleveland =/

They resigned Ray but left the coaching staff completely empty.

[cyanide]

Wow.

It'd be confusing if Terry Porter ended up with Seattle. If those teams meet in the playoffs...

Edit: Good point, maes, about the ownership. It really doesn't make a lot of sense for McMillan to do something like that.

[Emiliano]

Lets see how portland does from now on