1988–89 Portland Trail Blazers season
| 1988–89 Portland Trail Blazers season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach |
|
| General manager | Jon Spoelstra |
| Owner(s) | Paul Allen |
| Arena | Memorial Coliseum |
| Results | |
| Record | 39–43 (.476) |
| Place | Division: 5th (Pacific) Conference: 8th (Western) |
| Playoff finish | First round (lost to Lakers 0–3) |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | KOIN |
| Radio | KEX (Bill Schonely, Steve Jones) |
The 1988–89 NBA season was the 19th season for the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association. The Trail Blazers were racked with dissension, and posted a 25–22 record before head coach Mike Schuler was fired in mid-February; assistant coach Rick Adelman was promoted to replace him on an interim basis. After the regular season, Adelman was made the team's head coach on a full-time basis.
At mid-season, the team traded Kiki Vandeweghe to the New York Knicks in exchange for a future first-round draft pick. After holding a 25–21 record at the All-Star break, the Trail Blazers played below .500 basketball for the remainder of the regular season, and finished in fifth place in the Pacific Division with a 39–43 record, earning the #8 seed in the Western Conference, and qualifying for the NBA playoffs for the seventh consecutive year.
Clyde Drexler averaged 27.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.7 steals per game, while last season's Most Improved Player Kevin Duckworth averaged 18.1 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, and Terry Porter provided the team with 17.7 points, 9.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game. In addition, Jerome Kersey contributed 17.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game, while Steve Johnson provided with 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game off the bench, and Sam Bowie averaged 8.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game also off the bench, in only just 20 games due to injury. Drexler and Duckworth were both selected for the 1989 NBA All-Star Game in Houston, Texas.
In the 1989 NBA playoffs, the Trail Blazers were eliminated in the Western Conference First Round of the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year, losing three straight games to the eventual Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers would reach the NBA Finals for the third consecutive year, but would lose to the Detroit Pistons in four straight games.
Following the season, the oft-injured Bowie was traded to the New Jersey Nets, and Johnson was left unprotected in the 1989 NBA expansion draft, where he was selected by the newly expansion Minnesota Timberwolves.