Trail Blazers fire assistant coach Kim Hughes, who foretold LaMarcus Aldridge’s departure

1. LaMarcus Aldridge reportedly tells the Trail Blazers he’s leaving.

2. Portland general manager Neil Olshey denies Aldridge informed the team he’s leaving.

3. Trail Blazers assistant coach Kim Hughes says Aldridge is leaving.

4. Aldridge leaves.

5. Portland fires Hughes.

Jason Quick of The Oregonian:

Trail Blazers assistant coach Kim Hughes has been fired by the team, The Oregonian/Oregonlive has learned

“We can confirm Mr. Hughes is no longer with the team,’' Neil Olshey, Blazers president of basketball operations, said on Saturday. “It is our policy to otherwise refrain from commenting on personnel matters.’'

Hughes, who has been the Blazers’ big man coach for the past three seasons, told WTHI television that Aldridge was leaving the Blazers in free agency, which enraged team officials, who said Hughes had no knowledge of the team’s free agent proceedings.

That’s a harsh punishment – maybe not unwarranted, but definitely harsh.

There are several factors we don’t know – exactly how much Hughes knew and how much he was supposing, what other issues the franchise had with him, how much warning he’d received not to speak on these matters. All that comes into play when deciding his future with the team.

So, I won’t say the the Trail Blazers were wrong. But if this were Hughes only violation and he’s the good assistant coach they believed him to be when hiring him, this seems like an overreaction. Not every offense warrants a firing.