In shocking news, the Cleveland Cavaliers have fired head coach David Blatt. He led the Cavs to an NBA Finals appearance last season and to a 30-11 record so far this season. Simultaneously, Cleveland has promoted former assistant coach Tyronn Lue to head coach, rewarding him with a three year contract. This may be a surprising move, but it was something that was eventually going to happen.
Since the day Blatt was hired by the Cavaliers, there always seemed to be something that just wasn’t clicking. They were not expecting LeBron James to return to the organization at the time that Blatt was hired. With LeBron coming home and then trading for Kevin Love, there was a lot of pressure for Blatt, who only had coaching experience at the international level.
The relationship between James and Blatt seemed iffy throughout Blatt’s tenure. Rumors were always surfacing that James did not respect Blatt. There always seemed to be a gap between the two. It was reported that he did not have a say in the decision to fire Blatt.
Tyronn Lue, who has been a well-respected assistant coach for the Cavs, has agreed to become the new head coach. He has a great relationship with James, which is vital. This is something that is long overdue for Lue. Do not expect the Cavs to slow down after the firing of Blatt. In all honesty, this could be exactly what they needed. Blatt just never seemed to have the respect of the players like Lue did.
At the end of the day, Blatt was not necessarily put in the best situation. It was championship or bust in his first season, and that would arguably be the deciding factor in his future. I would not expect to see Blatt get another head coaching job in the NBA; he is at his best when coaching overseas. The majority of people knew he would not be in Cleveland long, but I do not think anyone expected it to happen this soon.
Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP/Getty Images
