Portland Trail Blazers
Headed by their new general manager Olshey, the Trail Blazers front office further made a few changes during July 2012. The Blazers signed their 30th pick from the 2006 draft, Joel Freeland, and their 22nd pick from the 2009 draft, Víctor Claver, as well as re-signing Hickson and Nicolas Batum. They also signed veteran point guard Ronnie Price to back up Lillard, who was selected as co-MVP of the 2012 Las Vegas Summer League. Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Terry Stotts was hired as head coach on August 7, 2012.
2012–13 Portland Trail Blazers season
The 2012–13 Portland Trail Blazers season was the 43rd season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The offseason saw the team draft a pair of first round draft picks, future All-Star Damian Lillard was taken 6th overall and Meyers Leonard was taken 11th overall. Despite the team finishing with a mediocre 33–49 record including a 13-game losing streak to finish, Lillard enjoyed a stellar rookie season, winning Rookie of the Year honors for his efforts.On December 5, 2012, Damian Lillard was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for November, making him the third rookie in Blazers history to earn the honor, following Arvydas Sabonis (1994) and Brandon Roy (2007). When asked about the honor, Lillard stated "I’m happy that I can get it, but I think all that it says is that I played good for one month. My mind has been focused on being consistent for the whole season, so ... it's a big deal to win the award, but it's not a big deal for the season. I’ll be happy about it and then it’ll be gone. It's a new month already."