Woj: Cavs fire David Blatt

[OregonDucks]

I get your point. I also think the Cavs owner and Lebron have a fake "good relationship" he basically wrote hate mail about Lebron when he left. Letter from Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert

That's some teenage girl shit right there.

Yeah I remember that letter and his public outcry when LeBron left. Which made it so funny he seemed to welcome LeBron back with open arms when he was coming back to Cleveland.

It's similar to the fans who burned his jersey, then bought his jersey again when he returned.

Now Gilbert is letting LeBron run the franchise, and although in short term it looks like a good idea, this is the type of business move that can devastate your franchise long term. LeBron already showed he has no problem leaving, he could be gone whenever he decides to again.

 

[Heatles84]

You are looking at it from a fan point of view and not a business

The business of lebron is good win or lose...gilbert is laughing all the way to the bank

If you think lebron couldn't tell pat riley what ever he wanted you are a fool....He could have had pat riley fired in a second.....There is a reason pat riley flew all the way to vegas to beg lebron to stay, got on tv cried some more and heat tried to sign that shit pg all because of a lebron tweet....yeah he had no power there lmfao...if you don't think they would have done anything to keep lebron you are crazy....now they are in the lottery and losing money

Such a spectacular fail.

 

[Heatles84]

Lebron won more games last year than he did the previous 1 in miami

Did he win a title? I don't care if the Heat won 42 games or 62 games in the regular season. Regular season wins mean shit if you don't win a title when you have title or bust aspirations.

I see Cleveland still has that participation trophy mindset.

 

[msgkings322]

I'd also rank George over James too. His importance to that team is obvious.....he missed most of last season, he returns and they are a lot better this season.

Yeah, because when James returned the Cavs didn't get any better.

 

[OregonDucks]

Make absolutely no mistake about it, LeBron James is the best player in the NBA right now. As much as I don't like him, he is really good.

But he does so many things that make it tough to really root for him. And he will come out and whine and cry about not being liked, and he will say things to try and make himself feel better. such as stating he had nothing to do with this Blatt firing. At first people might accept that, then reports will surface showing LeBron indeed did have a lot to do with the Blatt firing and people will go back to disliking him, and he will cry and whine some more.

LeBron just needed to accept the villain role when he made his one hour special and announced he was going to Miami. Embrace it. You're making millions, winning titles, after selfishly creating your own hour special on television to announce you were leaving your home town with the Boys and Girls Club of Cleveland, OH in attendance, just accept you're the villain. Win your titles, make your money, keep your mouth quiet and retire happily.

 

[WiggyRuss]

And honestly OD can you really blame Lebron for wanting a different coach? It was a mistake the second Cleveland hired him and everyone knew it right away.

when they hired him it wasnt a mistake- i think he wouldve been an interesting option if he was given the situation where they had Wiggins, Kyrie, Thompson- Windhorst just said they were about to sign Gordon Heyward before LeBron expressed interest.....When Blatt was hired no one knew LEBron was coming back. He was just in over his head- if he couldve taken over a rebuilding project and learned for 2-3 years and got some playoff experience thats one thing--- its a TOTALLY different thing to take a team to the championship and win it.

I liked some things about Blatt- he was smart, in the playoffs he really did a good job of getting the team to shift and play great defense- although windhorst keeps saying how Lue was the "defensive coordinator" and deserves the credit there- Blatt does deserve some. HE was just in over his head. He wasnt hired for the job that he had to do. Like I said at 9:30 am today- Blatt came into the league with a HUGE target on his back.

He did a lot of stupid things- a couple stories i have heard and have heard again today---- Last year- Blatt's first win the players tried to give him a game ball, and mussed his hair, tried to havea good time- and Blatt got legitimately angry at the notion that he got his first win and was a rookie coach- responding "i have about a thousand of these"...

2nd story- is the FIRST Golden State game....and this might make the Portland game make more sense- supposedly in that first Golden State game Blatt really switched up the rotations and sat guys that had been playing- and never passed on that info- and it was kind of a last straw with some of the vets- the next game at Portland their was basically a minor insurrection where the team basically didnt show up for that game.

Third- if there was a last straw- its Blatts dumb comments from yesterday- even if you feel the team was playing well- after you get your ass beat by GSW like that- you say how much we have to work on stuff, we need to get better, etc--- you dont go- oohhhh this is unfair----- we are doing really well---- blah blah...THAT was the last straw I think.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Peter Vescey- who used to be a good reporter- and is now kind of a scumbag- supposedly reported Blatt had told someone very recently that it was either going to be him- or KEvin Love- that someone was gonna have to go.....thats kinda crazy...

This is the NBA- who do you think stays and who do you think go's? The 3 time all star thats 27 years old with a 100+ million dollar contract just picked as atop 100 player of all time by ESPN at the ripe old age of 27? Or the coach that never warmed to his players and really never gained their complete trust?

 

[OregonDucks]

when they hired him it wasnt a mistake- i think he wouldve been an interesting option if he was given the situation where they had Wiggins, Kyrie, Thompson- Windhorst just said they were about to sign Gordon Heyward before LeBron expressed interest.....When Blatt was hired no one knew LEBron was coming back. He was just in over his head- if he couldve taken over a rebuilding project and learned for 2-3 years and got some playoff experience thats one thing--- its a TOTALLY different thing to take a team to the championship and win it.

I liked some things about Blatt- he was smart, in the playoffs he really did a good job of getting the team to shift and play great defense- although windhorst keeps saying how Lue was the "defensive coordinator" and deserves the credit there- Blatt does deserve some. HE was just in over his head. He wasnt hired for the job that he had to do. Like I said at 9:30 am today- Blatt came into the league with a HUGE target on his back.

He did a lot of stupid things- a couple stories i have heard and have heard again today---- Last year- Blatt's first win the players tried to give him a game ball, and mussed his hair, tried to havea good time- and Blatt got legitimately angry at the notion that he got his first win and was a rookie coach- responding "i have about a thousand of these"...

2nd story- is the FIRST Golden State game....and this might make the Portland game make more sense- supposedly in that first Golden State game Blatt really switched up the rotations and sat guys that had been playing- and never passed on that info- and it was kind of a last straw with some of the vets- the next game at Portland their was basically a minor insurrection where the team basically didnt show up for that game.

Third- if there was a last straw- its Blatts dumb comments from yesterday- even if you feel the team was playing well- after you get your ass beat by GSW like that- you say how much we have to work on stuff, we need to get better, etc--- you dont go- oohhhh this is unfair----- we are doing really well---- blah blah...THAT was the last straw I think.

If Blatt was in over his head (which very well could be true) you think Tyronn Lue won't be...?

 

[OregonDucks]

Peter Vescey- who used to be a good reporter- and is now kind of a scumbag- supposedly reported Blatt had told someone very recently that it was either going to be him- or KEvin Love- that someone was gonna have to go.....thats kinda crazy...

This is the NBA- who do you think stays and who do you think go's? The 3 time all star thats 27 years old with a 100+ million dollar contract just picked as atop 100 player of all time by ESPN at the ripe old age of 27? Or the coach that never warmed to his players and really never gained their complete trust?

Unfortunately the entitled player will get to stay.

It's the reason I enjoy teams like GS or San Antonio winning the titles. It goes to show the coach still matters in this game and its not just AAU ball where the best 5 are compiled and win the game.

It shouldn't be something people hang their hat on that a player is held in higher regard than the head coach. I like to think a COACH is not only that players mentor and COACH, but in the NBA is also their boss. But these days it's all about the egos of the millionaire athlete.

 

[WiggyRuss]

If Blatt was in over his head (which very well could be true) you think Tyronn Lue won't be...?

after listening to the DAvid Griffin press conference I came away extremely impressed with his back ground...now it is certainly not ideal to switch midseason- but it sure looks like this was a long time coming.

I mean- what do you do if your the CAvs in that situation - you hire Blatt- who has never coached or played in the NBA at any level- to continue out of your rebuilding project and coach a bunch of kids---- all of a sudden LeBron signs- Wiggins and draft picks are gone- Love and veterans come in- and y ou have a coach that has NO CLUE what the NBA is about......would it have been better to tell Blatt before the season even started- this isnt why we hired you- thanks- but no thanks....would that have been possible even? I dunno.

And then- after the Finals last year...it would have been hard for me to fire him because of how the team overachieved despite the tough circumstances with injuries it ran into...i mean- it woulda been tough to fire a guy who got you to game 6 of the Finals under those circumstances but maybe it wouldve been the better call just to do it then.

I just know that even though this team is SOOO much more talented than the 07 team- the 07 team felt invincible on a nightly basis at times, and just blew teams out and had fun.....that just was not there for this team....i mean- on the radio Jason Lloyd would harp on how Blatt tried to install his offense last year and the players just said- no- we dont want to run it- and did what they wanted to do....you cant have that. 99.9% of the time im gonna side with thecoach there- but in this instance- especially considering the talent and intelligence ofa LeBron ---- i mean- Blatt PROBABLy didnt know what he was doing early on- and having a Princeton offense with LeBron is a fucking waste and a half.

 

[OregonDucks]

after listening to the DAvid Griffin press conference I came away extremely impressed with his back ground...now it is certainly not ideal to switch midseason- but it sure looks like this was a long time coming.

I mean- what do you do if your the CAvs in that situation - you hire Blatt- who has never coached or played in the NBA at any level- to continue out of your rebuilding project and coach a bunch of kids---- all of a sudden LeBron signs- Wiggins and draft picks are gone- Love and veterans come in- and y ou have a coach that has NO CLUE what the NBA is about......would it have been better to tell Blatt before the season even started- this isnt why we hired you- thanks- but no thanks....would that have been possible even? I dunno.

And then- after the Finals last year...it would have been hard for me to fire him because of how the team overachieved despite the tough circumstances with injuries it ran into...i mean- it woulda been tough to fire a guy who got you to game 6 of the Finals under those circumstances but maybe it wouldve been the better call just to do it then.

I just know that even though this team is SOOO much more talented than the 07 team- the 07 team felt invincible on a nightly basis at times, and just blew teams out and had fun.....that just was not there for this team....i mean- on the radio Jason Lloyd would harp on how Blatt tried to install his offense last year and the players just said- no- we dont want to run it- and did what they wanted to do....you cant have that. 99.9% of the time im gonna side with thecoach there- but in this instance- especially considering the talent and intelligence ofa LeBron ---- i mean- Blatt PROBABLy didnt know what he was doing early on- and having a Princeton offense with LeBron is a fucking waste and a half.

Well if you knew rough times were ahead with Blatt, I guess you are better off firing him after last year and hiring a quality HC in the off-season.

I mean, you bring up the point of how can you fire the guy after he took you to the Finals, well he currently has the Cavs at #1 in the East right now.

I think what you probably do as an Owner and GM is to tell your players to be men, and tough it out for this season and do your best to win and tell them you'll re-evaluate the situation at the end of the year. Ultimately probably firing him then to hire a quality coach in the off-season.

Instead you fire him mid-season and bring in an assistant.

I think with even how bad of a fit Blatt may have been, he was Cleveland's best chance in 2016 to get to a title and win a title. Now with Lue at the helm, I see experienced head coaches outcoaching him. I see players on the roster thinking they can now run the place. If Lue starts to become unliked, he's gone. Everyone knows that. Then LeBron gives Cleveland their 6th coaching change since he has been there.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Well if you knew rough times were ahead with Blatt, I guess you are better off firing him after last year and hiring a quality HC in the off-season.

I mean, you bring up the point of how can you fire the guy after he took you to the Finals, well he currently has the Cavs at #1 in the East right now.

I think what you probably do as an Owner and GM is to tell your players to be men, and tough it out for this season and do your best to win and tell them you'll re-evaluate the situation at the end of the year. Ultimately probably firing him then to hire a quality coach in the off-season.

Instead you fire him mid-season and bring in an assistant.

I think with even how bad of a fit Blatt may have been, he was Cleveland's best chance in 2016 to get to a title and win a title. Now with Lue at the helm, I see experienced head coaches outcoaching him. I see players on the roster thinking they can now run the place. If Lue starts to become unliked, he's gone. Everyone knows that. Then LeBron gives Cleveland their 6th coaching change since he has been there.

I am extremely interested to see how they come out and play these next couple weeks. That will be fascinating to watch. From all the reporting- all the players already went to Lue for everything anyway- he ran the defense- and was not just given the interim tag because the players really like him. Who knows htough- it is without a doubt a big time risk.

 

[WiggyRuss]

You are looking at it from a fan point of view and not a business

The business of lebron is good win or lose...gilbert is laughing all the way to the bank

If you think lebron couldn't tell pat riley what ever he wanted you are a fool....He could have had pat riley fired in a second.....There is a reason pat riley flew all the way to vegas to beg lebron to stay, got on tv cried some more and heat tried to sign that shit pg all because of a lebron tweet....yeah he had no power there lmfao...if you don't think they would have done anything to keep lebron you are crazy....now they are in the lottery and losing money

It is true that Riley flew across the country in a desperate attempt to polish LeBron's nob once he got wind that he might be gone (Pat Riley is going to be 71 in March by the way- and it sure looks like he has lost about all the zip on that fastball). And you are right- LeBron texts something about that UConn PG- the Heat TRADE up to get him- and then get rid of him as soon as Bron is gone. I mean- the Heat even brought ZYDRUNAS to Miami for a season even though he was more cooked than Haslem currently is!....

but when you are as good as LeBron is thats just how it goes. Organizations would be crazy not to. Look at hte Cavs- they had to rebuild when LeBron left and were only poised to start winning again when Bron came back. look at the Heat- instead of rebuilding they are trying to squeeze some last winning seasons out of this team and they were 10th in the conference last year and are currently 8th this year after going to 4 straight Finals. THATs the impact this guy has.

 

[OregonDucks]

I read that story by Woj...who is a very reliable source within the league, so everything he writes I do believe. And I will say that article makes me stomach turn. All a business move for King James. Just to build on my previous post that James needed to accept the villain role. That article doesn't look good on James at all.

Meanwhile Steph Curry and the Warriors are working their asses off to repeat as champs, LeBron is worried about cashing checks and not being told how to play. That article makes it seem as though Lue is lost before he ever coaches, ha excuses me there won't be any coaching on his part, before he ever sits on the bench.

The Cavaliers got played.

 

[WiggyRuss]

I am going to have faith in David Griffin.

I was just thinking about this. David Griffin has pulled off some pretty impressive things in his tenure. Laying the groundwork for LeBron's return, trading for Love and making sure they got him resigned, getting Kyrie signed up to a max, pulling off those 2 trades last January that were met with skepticism and paid off big.

And i think thats the most important- at this time last year just about- the Cavs traded 2 first rounders for Mozgov, dealt Dion Waiters, and brought in Shump and JR- and a lot of people- PLENTY on these boards- called those "desperation" moves.

All those moves did was save the Cavs season and they paid off BIG TIME.

Griffin is taking a gamble doing this. No one would be on his ass if he just left the status quo alone- let Blatt fail (if he would have), and then fire him in the offseason. It takes some serious balls to fire a guy 1st in the conference- but if you just dont think hes the guy that can perform on a level even NEAR a Pop or Kerr, and he is holding you back- then I guess you gotta make the move.

Griffin put the season on the line last year in January and it worked out very well. I will give him some rope here and see how this plays out. I just keep coming back to the fact that he knows this is a gamble, but is willing to do it because he just thinks it was the right thing to do.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Does anyone actually think firing Blatt was the wrong move? --putting aside all the LeBron speculation etc.....

 

[WiggyRuss]

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/14629892/nba-final-unraveling-david-blatt

wow....pretty interesting

 

[UK Cowboy]

Blatt took his team to the Finals last year and had the best record in the conference this year. Total embarrassment for the NBA. Coach...err...King James can pull in Lue as HC, but their team isn't winning jack shit. James will never win another Title. Next up...GM James trades Kevin Love

 

[UK Cowboy]

after listening to the DAvid Griffin press conference I came away extremely impressed with his back ground...now it is certainly not ideal to switch midseason- but it sure looks like this was a long time coming.

I mean- what do you do if your the CAvs in that situation - you hire Blatt- who has never coached or played in the NBA at any level- to continue out of your rebuilding project and coach a bunch of kids---- all of a sudden LeBron signs- Wiggins and draft picks are gone- Love and veterans come in- and y ou have a coach that has NO CLUE what the NBA is about......would it have been better to tell Blatt before the season even started- this isnt why we hired you- thanks- but no thanks....would that have been possible even? I dunno.

And then- after the Finals last year...it would have been hard for me to fire him because of how the team overachieved despite the tough circumstances with injuries it ran into...i mean- it woulda been tough to fire a guy who got you to game 6 of the Finals under those circumstances but maybe it wouldve been the better call just to do it then.

I just know that even though this team is SOOO much more talented than the 07 team- the 07 team felt invincible on a nightly basis at times, and just blew teams out and had fun.....that just was not there for this team....i mean- on the radio Jason Lloyd would harp on how Blatt tried to install his offense last year and the players just said- no- we dont want to run it- and did what they wanted to do....you cant have that. 99.9% of the time im gonna side with thecoach there- but in this instance- especially considering the talent and intelligence ofa LeBron ---- i mean- Blatt PROBABLy didnt know what he was doing early on- and having a Princeton offense with LeBron is a fucking waste and a half.

Blatt knew what he was doing. The Cav's players just didn't want to do what he asked. They are a joke

 

[UK Cowboy]

Michael Jordan could have said...''You know what, this whole Triangle thing isn't for me, let's get rid of the Phil Jackson guy and run the plays Scottie and I want to run''....but he didn't. That's why Jordan is the GOAT, and didn't need to run off and try and pair up with other stars to try and win not 2, not 3,....James is a great player, but could have won a lot more if he didn't want to be HC/GM as well