Trail Blazers Head Coach Search Reportedly Narrowed to Three Candidates; Who is Portland's Best Fit?

Finally, an update on the Portland Trail Blazers' head coaching search has been provided. 

Per Marc Stein on The Stein Line, Portland is eyeing Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach Micah Nori, Boston Celtics assistant Tyler Lashbrook and Blazers interim Tiago Splitter to be the franchise's next head coach. 

"Sources tell The Stein Line that three of the five finalists we identified last week remain under consideration for the full-time post in Portland: Minnesota’s Nori, Boston’s Tyler Lashbrook and Blazers acting coach Tiago Splitter," the report read. 

Two other candidates, LA Clippers assistant Jeff Van Gundy and Utah Jazz assistant Mike Williams, are no longer being considered. 

Of the three, I've long maintained that Splitter would be the best option for multiple reasons. 

Obviously, he had somewhat of a mini-audition last season. Splitter helped lead Portland to its first playoff appearance in five years while simultaneously navigating the difficult situation he inherited after Chauncey Billups was fired. 

That's an impressive feat in its own right, let alone in an acting head coach's first season. 

Plus, Splitter would provide the Blazers with a sense of continuity, allowing him to build on the teaching points he introduced to the team when he received the interim title in October of last year. 

The only issue? Splitter is also under consideration for the Chicago Bulls' vacancy. 

And that's where Nori, who I believe is the second-leading candidate, comes in. 

Should Splitter opt for the move to the Windy City, Nori should be the fall-back option.

Although he's already made it clear on SiriusXM's NBA Radio on Tuesday that he's had "conversations here and there" with Portland, he likely was just being coy on a radio interview. 

Nori has been considered for a number of jobs over the years and was a finalist just last summer for the New York Knicks' opening that ultimately went to veteran sideline patroller Mike Brown. 

Lashbrook, to me, is the wildcard. 

Yes, he comes from the Joe Mazulla tree, which has been generating some exciting head coaches of late, including Will Hardy and Charles Lee. 

Plus, Lashbrook does already have head coaching experience, albeit with the Maine Celtics in the G League. 

If Splitter moves on to Chicago and, for whatever reason, the Blazers remain hesitant to give Nori a head coaching position, Lashbrook would certainly be an intriguing option to explore. 

Still, if I had to, I'd rank them: Splitter, Nori, Lashbrook.