Not too many people saw Terry Stotts’ resignation as the Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach coming – especially considering how this stunning turn of events happened just days before the start of the regular season.
As it turns out, even former Portland Trail Blazers star CJ McCollum was also completely taken aback by the fact that his ex-coach decided to leave the Bucks just months after agreeing to come out of retirement to join the squad’s coaching staff.
CJ McCollum Was Shocked to Hear About Terry Stotts’ Decision to Leave Milwaukee Bucks
In a recent interview with Sam Yip of Hoops Hype, McCollum admitted that this development came out of nowhere for him as well. The New Orleans Pelicans veteran revealed that he had actually spoken to his former coach recently and that Stotts did not give any indication whatsoever of his looming departure:
“That was definitely a shock to me,” McCollum said. “In the conversations I’ve had with Terry [Stotts], [he] was excited about the opportunity to coach again. He decided to work alongside Giannis [Antetokounmpo] and Dame getting traded there he was really, really excited. So it was a very interesting thing to see and I’m looking forward to learning more about why this happened. But I have not spoken to Terry since he decided to step down.”
Stotts coached the Blazers for nine seasons between 2012 and 2021. Throughout that whole time, he had Lillard as his star player. McCollum, on the other hand, joined Portland as their No. 10 overall pick prior to Stotts’ second year as the head coach. Needless to say, this trio spent a lot of time together during their stint with the Blazers.
This is exactly why, as McCollum revealed, Stotts was supposedly extremely excited about the Bucks’ Damian Lillard blockbuster trade. It was an opportunity for him to reunite with his ex-superstar, and their relationship was also expected to play a pivotal role in Dame’s transition with his new team.
As McCollum said, he has no idea why Stotts decided to jump ship. However, based on his revelations here, it does appear like there could be some truth about rumors pertaining to Stotts’ abrupt decision being significantly influenced by a recent altercation with head coach Adrian Griffin. After all, Stotts would not have left so hastily unless something caused a sudden and significant change of heart.
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