OT- Cleveland Cavaliers Fire David Blatt

Submitted by 615Wolverine on
Title says it all, with the playoffs right around the corner this is very shocking. They have already agreed to terms with assistant coach Tyron Lue on a multi year deal to replace him. IMO he was never the right hire but this will be an interesting end to the regular season. https://twitter.com/wojverticalnba/status/690638214307168256
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Benoit Balls

January 22nd, 2016 at 5:05 PM ^

that this was solely David Griffin's decision. he felt the team was underperforming under Blatt and has been trying to get Gilbert to pull the proverbial trigger fo a while now, and the GSW game Monday was the last straw. According to Peter Vecsey, Blatt had been telling friends that it was "him or Kevin Love".  

There is also an assertion that LeBron was not consulted, but then again, sometimes you don't ask questions if you already know the answer so take that fwiw.

It's all on LeBron now. No one left to blame. Finals or bust. They better hope Steph Curry gets hurt.

Joined: 11/27/2010

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JamieH

January 22nd, 2016 at 6:03 PM ^

that they are so aggressively telling you that this decision had nothing to do with LeBron tells you that had EVERYTHING to do with LeBron.  But of course, they have to try and take all of the heat off of LeBron because he doesn't like being viewed negatively. 

Joined: 09/05/2009

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MaizeAndBlueWahoo

January 22nd, 2016 at 7:54 PM ^

Plus, I mean, saying it was Griffin's decision means nothing and says nothing about extenuating circumstances..  It's not like LeBron can walk into Blatt's office and say "you're fired."  LeBron could point a gun at Griffin and order him to fire Blatt, and when Griffin does so it would still be "his decision."

Joined: 07/02/2008

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League54

January 22nd, 2016 at 5:17 PM ^

LeBron James was not consulted before the Cavaliers made the move to dismiss Blatt and was informed of the decision Friday, sources told Windhorst. The decision to fire Blatt was "entirely" up to general manager David Griffin, a league source told ESPN.com

 

bullllshiiiit

 

Joined: 02/03/2009

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jsquigg

January 22nd, 2016 at 5:17 PM ^

I'm sorry, but even if youn disagree with how Blatt runs (or doesn't) things, the guy took Cleveland to the Finals and had his team in first place this year.  If they think another coach is going to catch them up to the Spurs or Dubs they're delusional.  Then again, fuck Cleveland.....

Joined: 09/06/2009

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TheCool

January 22nd, 2016 at 6:40 PM ^

I get what you're saying, but record and making the Finals are not the only indicators of a team's successes or failures. They should have been in the Finals. It definitely want because of Blatt. I recall watching the Finals and wondering aloud about some of his poor decisions. Cleveland should be playing better and firing him is a good move. I'm not sure about the hire though. Also, fuck Cleveland.

Joined: 07/13/2011

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Real Tackles Wear 77

January 22nd, 2016 at 5:21 PM ^

He was hired before LeBron came back and was probably considered for his ability to do a long term turnaround. When the best player on earth shows up, that gets escalated in a hurry. I think he did as good a job as possible, no one was beating GSW last year and probably won't either this year.

Joined: 07/05/2008

MGoPoints: 9704

Bigasshammm

January 23rd, 2016 at 5:59 AM ^

Never said they won't be top 3. But they'll be third. Second only because the top two are in the same conference. He's not a winner and never has been. He needed Wade to win in Miami which is why he went there in the first place. I'd be happy for them if they won God knows the city needs it but I'm realistic and don't ever see it happening.

Joined: 07/03/2008

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Dailysportseditor

January 22nd, 2016 at 6:43 PM ^

Firing Blatt after Cleveland winning the East last year and leading the East this year will not make it easy to hire future head coaches there.  The pressure on Lue to win the NBA Championship this year could be overwhelming for a first-year head coach.  

Joined: 01/14/2012

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bronxblue

January 22nd, 2016 at 8:23 PM ^

Blatt always seemed on his way out after it was clear him and LeBron didn't get along, but turning to Lue of all people seems like the inmates running the asylum a bit.  I'm not saying that Blatt was a good coach for this team, but making a switch to a first-time HC mid-season seems dubious.

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JamieH

January 23rd, 2016 at 12:59 AM ^

to find a superstar athlete who has done absolutely nothing wrong in his personal life who has managed to make himself as unlikeable as LeBron. 
 

First he bails on Cleveland to go make his super-team in Miami and doesn't understand why people don't like that.  Then he bails on Miami to go back to Cleveland because he doesn't like being not liked.  Now he's run his coach out of town and replaced him with a guy who has never coached a day in his life. 

LeBron is a great basketball player.  But man, he is easy to root against. 

Joined: 09/05/2009

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tbeindit

January 23rd, 2016 at 9:58 AM ^

Why do people keep acting like Cleveland making the Finals was such a huge achievement? The only decent team they beat to get there was Atlanta. Not exactly a huge task given Cleveland's roster.

Joined: 01/27/2011

MGoPoints: 2039

Yeoman

January 23rd, 2016 at 2:08 PM ^

...but the motivation is definitely wrong.

This is an old team, and the dominant figure is a player that by his own admission doesn't know how to pace himself--not in a game, not over a season. He's said many times that he wishes he could learn how, that he wishes Popovich could teach him.

And now they fire the coach because Griffin wants more "fire" and "spirit" in the locker room, because they aren't excited enough after meaningless regular season wins, because 30-11 isn't good enough and they should be 37-4.

That stuff works for Golden State, they're a young team. But what Cleveland needs and doesn't have is in San Antonio, not Golden State. They can't afford to wear themselves out chasing wins in January and February. What they need is somebody that understands it's a marathon and not a sprint.

I think it's important to have a coach whose personality complements the team's dominant player. Doug Collins was an intense coach, and together with Jordan they had everyone wound so tight they couldn't perform at their best. Replace him with Jackson? Perfection.

I don't know enough about Lue to know if hiring him makes sense, but listening to Griffin it's clear he wants to do it wrong.

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