Apr 6, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups watches from the sideline during the first half against the San Antonio Spurs at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-Imagn Images Soobum Im-Imagn Images

Did Blazers Coach Chauncey Billups Calling Out NBA Fix This Year’s Schedule?

Originally posted on Portland Trail Blazers on SI
By Alex Kirschenbaum | Last updated Aug 18, 2025 5:00 PM ET

Did Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups help fix his team's schedule in 2025-26?

Conor Bergin of Blazers' Edge (via SB Nation) submits a wild theory: that Chauncey Billups' frustrations with Portland's scheduling approach last year could have paid dividends this season.

Portland's longest road trip this year will last for just five contests, as Bergin notes.

"They have three trips of that duration — taking place from Nov. 8-16, Feb. 26-March 6, and March 15-22. It’s rare for the Blazers not to have a seven-game road trip somewhere in the mix. After seeing that more positive aspect of the schedule, I thought back to a situation from March," Bergin writes. "The Blazers came back from a seven-game road trip to play the Detroit Pistons at home on March 9, but then they immediately had to fly to Golden State for one more road game on March 10."

This year's Trail Blazers are in a simultaneously younger and older place. Gone is 26-year-old score-first guard Anfernee Simons, who was shipped out in favor of 35-year-old All-Defensive Team guard Jrue Holiday. Another 35-year-old former All-Star, point guard Damian Lillard, joined the club in free agency — although he'll sit out most or all of this year recovering from an Achilles tendon tear.

But 27-year-old starting center Deandre Ayton has been bought out of his contract in favor of 21-year-old second-year center Donovan Clingan and 20-year-old rookie big Yang Hansen.

Billups Ripped NBA Schedulers Last Season

As Bergin observes, Billups called out the NBA's schedulers during a press conference after the 112-111 defeat to Detroit.

“This is like a road game,” Billups said. “You come off a seven-game trip, two weeks, and you turn around and gotta play tomorrow on the road. We should’ve just played the Pistons at [Oakland Arena] and then played the Warriors at [the Chase Center in San Francisco]. … It’s just a terrible scheduling thing, but it is what it is.”

"I couldn’t help but wonder if the more favorable road slate this season was a conscious effort by the NBA to acknowledge Billups’ critique and throw the Blazers a bone," writes Bergin. "Each of Portland’s three five-game road trips this season are followed by at least two home games.