David Blatt is a former NBA coach

[Sean King 87]

@cavsfever according to your point of view our best record in the league since January 15'th is because of focus, motivation and the big three. No need coaching at all. Just buy a few great players and you'll win the title for sure. We sometimes forget that there are more teams with great roster. "Not screwing it up" it means in other words "No need at all a coach". Otherwise we need him, and he is doing a great job in his first year in the league (with players which most of them was never playing one with each other).

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

People really have a strange view of NBA coaching. You really think a team of professionals like this is going to have some coach say to them 'ball movement! Defense! these are good things!' and be like 'I never thought of that! Guess I'll pass the ball and try to stay in front of my man!'? These guys know how to move the ball and play defense, it's a matter of motivation and focus.

If you think that all a coach does on the offensive end is say "pass the ball more", then I can understand why you've reached your conclusions.

 

[cavsfever]

LOL, ok, I was exaggerating for effect. But Blatt simplified his offensive schemes from the beginning of the year, nothing he's been doing on the offensive end is revolutionary and there wouldn't have been time to institute it if it was. How many days of practice have they really had between mid-January and that Memphis game anyway? Guys like JR Smith, Shumpert (on defense), and Mozgov came in as pretty polished and experienced players and just had to get worked in.

 

[Jon]

LOL, ok, I was exaggerating for effect. But Blatt simplified his offensive schemes from the beginning of the year, nothing he's been doing on the offensive end is revolutionary and there wouldn't have been time to institute it if it was. How many days of practice have they really had between mid-January and that Memphis game anyway? Guys like JR Smith, Shumpert (on defense), and Mozgov came in as pretty polished and experienced players and just had to get worked in.

We shouldn't take it for granted. We've seen plenty of other players join the Cavs, play tight and somehow forget to do what they know how to do. Griffin deserves plenty of the credit for finding players who fit, but just look at the metamorphosis JR has gone through. Somehow we made him comfortable and let him know we brought him in to be himself and shoot; but then quickly, he started playing disciplined, making plays on D, and passing up his own shots to set up teammates.

 

[DougHeil]

LOL, ok, I was exaggerating for effect. But Blatt simplified his offensive schemes from the beginning of the year, nothing he's been doing on the offensive end is revolutionary and there wouldn't have been time to institute it if it was. How many days of practice have they really had between mid-January and that Memphis game anyway? Guys like JR Smith, Shumpert (on defense), and Mozgov came in as pretty polished and experienced players and just had to get worked in.

It seems to me Blatt has simplified the defense. The offense seems based off what the opponent is trying to do. We can really play almost any way necessary because of our talent. The defensive scheme at the start of the year was complicated. Blatt made it easier by simply staying with your man by going over the pick and then having Tmoz glaring at you in the paint.

 

[6kiss]

If you think that all a coach does on the offensive end is say "pass the ball more", then I can understand why you've reached your conclusions.

Thats all Spolestra did and they won a championship

Jason Kidd or Fisher could be coaching this team and we would still have 51 wins. We have a great roster, lets not cover up Blatts flaws just because we are winning due to having Lebron and a great roster.

 

[teamballer]

Thats all Spolestra did and they won a championship

Jason Kidd or Fisher could be coaching this team and we would still have 51 wins. We have a great roster, lets not cover up Blatts flaws just because we are winning due to having Lebron and a great roster.

These are the kinds of posts that really have me shaking my head.

"That's all Spoelstra did..." - Do you really believe that? If you do, you have no idea what it takes to become a professional at anything, let alone at the highest level of one of the most lucrative professions in the world.

"Jason Kidd or Fisher could be coaching this team and we would still have 51 wins." - Really? Well, if you say so... This roster has only been here since January 15. The Cavs have gone 28-7 in that time span and in four of the seven losses at least one of the big-3 was out. That's .800 ball and possibly higher if it weren't for injuries. Best record in the NBA during that time. You think Fisher would do better? Or maybe you think that Fisher would have had a better record in the first part of the season while having to play the likes of Miller, Jones, Harris, Price, and Marion major minutes and having Dion chuck contested long 2s all night long.

We get it, Blatt is a "rookie coach" in the NBA, and you won't get any disagreement from me if you want to wait and see how he does in the playoffs before you sing his praises. But some people here just go out of their way to make sure that no positive is ever attributed in even a minor way to that Euro guy. It's like some people are afraid that if someone comes over from Europe and succeeds then the superiority of the NBA over the Euroleague will be questioned.

 

[Pavlovic3Ball]

Winning a title despite a coach? Rarely, if ever, possible.

See: Scott Brooks.

If the Cavaliers win a title, Blatt will have had a major hand in that. How can you possibly be that naive? This isn't some inmates running the prison type scenario that you're making it sound like. Blatt's system is being executed and wins are piling up.

Me naive? LeBron is the system.

 

[supermario21]

I think a training camp will do wonders for this team. This is the first time that we basically control our own destiny with our core 8 players. This team could be the same next season if we want it to be. That's a luxury we never had in the first LeBron era where we were basically turning the pieces over each trade deadline. I would expect a huge leap from this year to next regardless of how this turns out (and if we keep Love).

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

Thats all Spolestra did and they won a championship.

Right. Spoelstra's offensive coaching consisted entirely of just standing around and repeating those four magic words "pass the ball more." That's it.

What's particularly odd about this line of criticism is that it's an insult to all coaches. All that stuff about drawing up plays? Irrelevant. Teaching players how to set better screens, or where to move off the ball? Doesn't happen. Using motion sets like the weave, or teaching tricks on the P&R or P&F? All players already come to the NBA fully versed in all that, and all a coach does is just mouth those four magic words.

 

[Damien O'Connel]

Me naive? LeBron is the system.

This is horrific. Did you even WATCH the Memphis game?


EDIT: and to all the people calling Lebron the GM....who did he bring in? Mike Miller, James Jones, Perk, Shawn Marion (ok, Griff had a hand in this too. but Lebron recruited him HARD.)

Contrast that with Shump, JR and Mozzy who Griff brought in. Who is doing the better job as a 'GM'. The same goes for coaching. Lebron is a great player. But that's all he is. A great player. He and the media see him as more than that but the fact is that he SUCKS at all these other roles that are being attributed to him.

 

[Adam]

Right. Spoelstra's offensive coaching consisted entirely of just standing around and repeating those four magic words "pass the ball more." That's it.

What's particularly odd about this line of criticism is that it's an insult to all coaches. All that stuff about drawing up plays? Irrelevant. Teaching players how to set better screens, or where to move off the ball? Doesn't happen. Using motion sets like the weave, or teaching tricks on the P&R or P&F? All players already come to the NBA fully versed in all that, and all a coach does is just mouth those four magic words.

Agreed. Although the tv networks don't help when they show a huddle in a time out it's all just coaches telling millionaires to work harder. I get they don't show the details but to the casual on server they might be mistaken for just delivering a very simple message

 

[Damien O'Connel]

Agreed. Although the tv networks don't help when they show a huddle in a time out it's all just coaches telling millionaires to work harder. I get they don't show the details but to the casual on server they might be mistaken for just delivering a very simple message

If anyone thinks that broadcasts are showing the actual nitty gritty strategic stuff going on in huddles they need to be institutionalized.

Watch what they show from Pop's huddles. "GIVE ME SOME NASTY!!!!"

Can anyone say with a straight face that SA would win titles with Fisher at the helm?

 

[Pavlovic3Ball]

The problem is that most Cavs fan have been told the last 12 years how it's just all been LeBron in our success. And the truth is, it really still is. I will most definitely give Griffin props for his mideseason moves. But the common denominator in our success has ALWAYS been LeBron. At this point Blatt is nothing more than a prop. Replace him with anyone else and we have the same or even better record.

 

[Damien O'Connel]

The problem is that most Cavs fan have been told the last 12 years how it's just all been LeBron in our success. And the truth is, it really still is. I will most definitely give Griffin props for his mideseason moves. But the common denominator in our success has ALWAYS been LeBron. At this point Blatt is nothing more than a prop. Replace him with anyone else and we have the same or even better record.

Based on...what, exactly? What ESPN told you?