Blazers’ coaching search now includes Jerry Stackhouse, others

The Trail Blazers’ coaching search is starting to feel a little less like a sprint and a little more like a full organizational excavation.

In other words, Portland is talking to just about everybody.

According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, former NBA veteran Jerry Stackhouse is scheduled to interview for the vacancy this weekend. Stackhouse has built a pretty interesting coaching résumé since retiring as a player, spending time with the Raptors, Grizzlies and Warriors, while also serving as head coach at Vanderbilt and with Raptors 905 in the G League.

Meanwhile, league sources told NBA insider Chris Haynes that the Blazers have also been impressed with Mike Williams, currently an assistant with the Jazz. Williams has developed a strong reputation as a young coach on the rise.

Fischer added that Tyler Lashbrook of the Celtics has advanced in the process as well. That said, the list just keeps growing.

Over the past 24 hours alone, names tied to the job have included Jeff Van Gundy, Micah Nori and interim coach Tiago Splitter.

So despite earlier reports about “finalists,” it doesn’t exactly sound like Portland is close to wrapping this thing up.

According to Fischer and Marc Stein, the process has been somewhat difficult for league insiders to track because candidates are speaking with different people throughout the organization, including GM Joe Cronin and owner Tom Dundon.

One thing does appear clear, though: Per Stein, Dundon wants a coach who will “coach players hard.”