David Blatt is a former NBA coach

[FritzLn]

If the Cavs feel the need to get rid of Blatt, my guess is it will be a "resignation" at the end of the season instead of a firing. They can use his family being in Isreal as an out and how it has been "a tough situation" blah, blah, blah. It would save Gilbert (a little) that he didn't "fire" 3 coaches in 3 years and Blatt is doing it for family reasons which everyone would acknowledge in a better way. Just my 2 cents.

if he punked out like that it'd only confirm he wasn't fit to be the coach of this team

 

[LeShaq]

Could it be possible that Blatt is similar to Mike D'Antoni and he only wants to play his system a certain way with certain players. D'Antoni wasn't using Pau Gasol effectively and spreading him in ways that wasn't suitable. Blatt isn't putting Love in the right position to be successful he has him in the post , posting up that lazy as far as offense go thats what Mike Brown use to do with Z. We don't run any weak side action or any diversions to draw the defense away to make them second guess the play. He has been stubborn with playing Delly extreme minutes now an article comes out that he doesn't know if Delly will even have a role on this team. He has no balance in the rotation so we can develop chemistry James Jone can literally hit 3 three pointers in the first half and Blatt will go with Joe Harris for 12 straight minutes in the second half. I know every game is its on, but Blatt even staggering Love and Kyrie minutes is bad. Before the game he should have minutes mapped out for the starters and it may change during the course but he hasn't learned that yet. The stuff that he is struggling with is troubling considering he has been coaching for 20+ years.

Great post. From what it seems like so far, Blatt does appear to be a D'Antoni type of coach who only runs his system and has to have a roster built to fit his system to succeed.

I hope I'm wrong, but this is the vibe I've been getting so far this year.

 

[oracio]

Great post. From what it seems like so far, Blatt does appear to be a D'Antoni type of coach who only runs his system and has to have a roster built to fit his system to succeed.

I hope I'm wrong, but this is the vibe I've been getting so far this year.

Blatt is known for being a flexible coach who builds his system around the available players he has. I know it doesn't look like it right now, but he is very adaptive coach.

Before he can address his (sometimes obvious) shortcomings such as rotations, adjustments, etc. He needs to first work on developing a stronger relationship with his assistant coaches and then on the court with Lebron.

I believe if he does this, it will help him to learn the other things quicker.

Other than that, is anyone familiar with his work ethic ? Is he the type to be at the office until 3am on an off day reviewing film ?

Work ethic wise - Blatt's picture is near the definition of a "workaholic". It being said that he came to the States alone, without his family or wife so he could live and breath the Cavs.

I think the major difference I see in Blatt in here from his time in Europe is that he isn't in full control of the team. Blatt is used to be the high authority / commander / ruler of the team (basketball wise, of course there is always the management..) and now he has like dozen of assistant coaches who is not really familiar with, but the most difference is that he has a team of superstars which are above him hierarchy wise.
I think this is his biggest adjustment that he is going through, because I've known Blatt as a though guy who doesn't except BS from his players (like the videos you all saw in Youtube), and I see so much BS that he is absorbing right now that I never seen before, he became a bit too soft if you ask me, but I'm sure that this is going to change as soon as the adjustment phase of his will be done. I think that the "over confidence" that he is showing in his pre/post games interviews and his sometimes jokey attitude is basically to hide the opposite - he is a bit out of his comfort zone.
But with all of this new scenario and adjustments Blatt is going through I can assure you - he is hell of a coach!
And I'm sure a different music will be heard in this thread and pretty soon...

 

[Adam]

The book on blatt was that he was not a system guy and that he was always changing to suit the needs of his team. Maybe he's done that by scrapping the offense and running more iso?

What he's not able to do right now is keep up with the pave of the nba game in terns of rotation and lack of practice. That's why he needs to delegate an assistant to keep in his ear about a rough rotation. He can always nit make the changes but he needs someone to remind him of his plan. I think he gets way to caught up in the play and forgets the bug picture

 

[oracio]

The book on blatt was that he was not a system guy and that he was always changing to suit the needs of his team. Maybe he's done that by scrapping the offense and running more iso?

What he's not able to do right now is keep up with the pave of the nba game in terns of rotation and lack of practice. That's why he needs to delegate an assistant to keep in his ear about a rough rotation. He can always nit make the changes but he needs someone to remind him of his plan. I think he gets way to caught up in the play and forgets the big picture

Blatt is indeed not used for so many games played a season. He is used for a scenario where every game counts. If I think about it the whole Euroleague mentality is like one long Playoff.
And I think not going full throttle with all the weapons he has is against his instincts and his strive to always win - this is indeed another adjustment he is going through, so I totally agree with your comment that he gets caught up in the play and forgets the big picture...

 

[gourimoko]

Oracio, I hear what you're saying -- but we just aren't seeing any of what you're talking about

Going off of PriceFTW's post regarding our ORtg sans LeBron, we are worse when James is off the floor than we were last year. Going deeper into the numbers, we're worse than we were last year even when Kyrie was out and Dion was running the point.

In other words, even with considerable time to prep, practices, and game plan; coach Blatt has simply failed to put together a functional offense.

The defense mind you, is also worse than under Mike Brown. Last year we finished 19th in the league (DRtg), and presently we are 26th. I cannot stress this enough, we are one of the absolute worst defensive teams in the NBA.

Mozgov and hopefully Shumpert should start to fix some of those problems, but defense is mostly reflective of the system in place.

We would all agree that we have a great deal more talent today than we did last year, but we have next to no offense other than isolation, and absolutely no defense.

Furthermore, Blatt as a head coach in the NBA is responsible for getting his players to buy-in to his system. We haven't seen this at all. Our last televised game, the announcers spent over 10 minutes in split-screen between Blatt and James describing how Blatt has potentially failed the Cavaliers.

We are also seeing, as many other posters have said here, a coach who simply does not know how to use the tools he has.

Kyrie was averaging 6.8 assists per game last season. That is quite high for a score first point guard. This season that is down to 4.8; a tremendous drop in performance. I get playing him off-the-ball, but maybe not a majority of the time?

The kid can play point, as is evidenced by his numbers from last year on a team with no offensive options besides himself and Dion, or his excellent play on Team USA. But he has to be put into a system that knows how to use him.

I thought that getting a Euro coach would really open up Kyrie's game; but the exact opposite has happened. Instead, Kyrie is being leaned on to produce points in isolation -- more so even than Mike Brown! I would _never_ have thought that possible!

LeBron James hasn't really seen any time at PF, is playing isolation and point guard duties, and we're now back to LeISO of the 2008 Cavaliers.

Hello... this is not what he did just last year in Miami. James and Wade would "orbit" one another setting multiple screens, pick and rolls, and constantly attacking the basket. Last year James was easily the most dangerous man in the NBA.. Fuck "last year," a few months ago. But in our offense, he's back to being 2008 Cavalier James... This is a system issue. There is no Wade/Reilly/Spo to put a system in place and James' bad habits are clearly surfacing.

It is the coach's job to put that system in place and enforce it.

James should be playing ample minutes at the PF position, he should be playing whenever Kevin is off the floor, and he should be playing defense. He also should be playing limited minutes - regardless if the coach is on the hot seat or not.

Lastly, and this is unfortunately the most important point, coach Blatt has simply misused and wasted Kevin Love's talents.

Love looks lost out there. This guy is the most offensively talented power forward in the NBA. So why not use that asset? Why is he taking anything less than 18 FGA? You can't tell me because he's in a shooting slump because his eFG is still right there with Irving. Why not let Love just play his natural game?

Look at what I'm saying...

Why can James walk out on the floor whenever he wants. Hold the ball at the top of the arc for 20 seconds whenever he wants. Not run plays (remember Dion wanting to swing the ball, that was Blatt's set) that the coach called for. Play as many minutes as he likes and then complain about it.... BUT Kevin Love can't even get the ball in his hands in the 4th quarter?

Imagine, Kevin Love not touching the ball in the 4th.. That's not development, that's not a system in place, that's called panic.

I'm sorry Oracio; but my Cavaliers look like ass with Coach Blatt. I said I'd give him a fair shake and we're so far into the season that, honestly, he's out of excuses.

He had a full training camp, preseason, and damn near 40 games. We're approaching the All-Star break and we won't win our division and likely have no shot at all at having home court in any of our playoff series. Yet our players are averaging league high minutes and our best player is out due to overuse.

Maybe this is Jason Kidd redux and he just needs a different team and a different environment.

Whatever the case, Blatt no longer has the benefit of doubt; he's got to prove he belongs with this team. He's got to prove he's qualified for this prestigious position.

Stop talking about what you've done, show up for work, and get the job done.

 

[Jordan]

@gourimoko Fantastic post. But, to be fair, Jason Kidd last year was far better than Blatt. If it weren't for him I think the Nets probably miss the playoffs or make it as a low seed.

 

[gourimoko]

@gourimoko Fantastic post. But, to be fair, Jason Kidd last year was far better than Blatt. If it weren't for him I think the Nets probably miss the playoffs or make it as a low seed.

Fair enough; but Kidd had a really rough start and everyone called him a bust too. He learned from his mistakes, which were numerous, and turned it around.

I'm hoping that this abysmal record with James out is humbling Blatt and teaching him to respect the differences of the NBA. This is ain't Europe.

Hell people act like we have a shitty roster without LeBron.. We've got Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, that's better than the vast majority of the NBA. We just need a system that works. And a system comes from the coach.

I wouldn't even care if we said "fuck it, we can't play D, 7 seconds or less.." It's not my preferred philosophy and it's never won a championship, but it'd be better than throwing the ball on the court and watching a bunch of ISO. Hell, as good as that can be that's the reason OKC will never win a championship. Give them a better system and they'd be a much much better team.

 

[Jordan]

Fair enough; but Kidd had a really rough start and everyone called him a bust too. He learned from his mistakes, which were numerous, and turned it around.

I'm hoping that this abysmal record with James out is humbling Blatt and teaching him to respect the differences of the NBA. This is ain't Europe.

Hell people act like we have a shitty roster without LeBron.. We've got Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, that's better than the vast majority of the NBA. We just need a system that works. And a system comes from the coach.

I wouldn't even care if we said "fuck it, we can't play D, 7 seconds or less.." It's not my preferred philosophy and it's never won a championship, but it'd be better than throwing the ball on the court and watching a bunch of ISO. Hell, as good as that can be that's the reason OKC will never win a championship. Give them a better system and they'd be a much much better team.

Do you think firing Blatt mid-season and replacing him with Lue is the right move? Personally, I wanted Lue over Blatt in the first place so I would be all for it; with that said, I understand the dilemmas in firing a coach mid-season.

 

[gourimoko]

Do you think firing Blatt mid-season and replacing him with Lue is the right move? Personally, I wanted Lue over Blatt in the first place so I would be all for it; with that said, I understand the dilemmas in firing a coach mid-season.

I think we should get someone who can use Kevin love and kyrie Irving and play to their strengths.

I think that'd be Karl.

However I think James would prefer Jackson and the players wouldn't mind him so he'd be the best fit.

I wanted Lue too but he just might be part of the problem.

 

[oracio]

Oracio, I hear what you're saying -- but we just aren't seeing any of what you're talking about

Going off of PriceFTW's post regarding our ORtg sans LeBron, we are worse when James is off the floor than we were last year. Going deeper into the numbers, we're worse than we were last year even when Kyrie was out and Dion was running the point.

In other words, even with considerable time to prep, practices, and game plan; coach Blatt has simply failed to put together a functional offense.

The defense mind you, is also worse than under Mike Brown. Last year we finished 19th in the league (DRtg), and presently we are 26th. I cannot stress this enough, we are one of the absolute worst defensive teams in the NBA.

Mozgov and hopefully Shumpert should start to fix some of those problems, but defense is mostly reflective of the system in place.

We would all agree that we have a great deal more talent today than we did last year, but we have next to no offense other than isolation, and absolutely no defense.

Furthermore, Blatt as a head coach in the NBA is responsible for getting his players to buy-in to his system. We haven't seen this at all. Our last televised game, the announcers spent over 10 minutes in split-screen between Blatt and James describing how Blatt has potentially failed the Cavaliers.

We are also seeing, as many other posters have said here, a coach who simply does not know how to use the tools he has.

Kyrie was averaging 6.8 assists per game last season. That is quite high for a score first point guard. This season that is down to 4.8; a tremendous drop in performance. I get playing him off-the-ball, but maybe not a majority of the time?

The kid can play point, as is evidenced by his numbers from last year on a team with no offensive options besides himself and Dion, or his excellent play on Team USA. But he has to be put into a system that knows how to use him.

I thought that getting a Euro coach would really open up Kyrie's game; but the exact opposite has happened. Instead, Kyrie is being leaned on to produce points in isolation -- more so even than Mike Brown! I would _never_ have thought that possible!

LeBron James hasn't really seen any time at PF, is playing isolation and point guard duties, and we're now back to LeISO of the 2008 Cavaliers.

Hello... this is not what he did just last year in Miami. James and Wade would "orbit" one another setting multiple screens, pick and rolls, and constantly attacking the basket. Last year James was easily the most dangerous man in the NBA.. Fuck "last year," a few months ago. But in our offense, he's back to being 2008 Cavalier James... This is a system issue. There is no Wade/Reilly/Spo to put a system in place and James' bad habits are clearly surfacing.

It is the coach's job to put that system in place and enforce it.

James should be playing ample minutes at the PF position, he should be playing whenever Kevin is off the floor, and he should be playing defense. He also should be playing limited minutes - regardless if the coach is on the hot seat or not.

Lastly, and this is unfortunately the most important point, coach Blatt has simply misused and wasted Kevin Love's talents.

Love looks lost out there. This guy is the most offensively talented power forward in the NBA. So why not use that asset? Why is he taking anything less than 18 FGA? You can't tell me because he's in a shooting slump because his eFG is still right there with Irving. Why not let Love just play his natural game?

Look at what I'm saying...

Why can James walk out on the floor whenever he wants. Hold the ball at the top of the arc for 20 seconds whenever he wants. Not run plays (remember Dion wanting to swing the ball, that was Blatt's set) that the coach called for. Play as many minutes as he likes and then complain about it.... BUT Kevin Love can't even get the ball in his hands in the 4th quarter?

Imagine, Kevin Love not touching the ball in the 4th.. That's not development, that's not a system in place, that's called panic.

I'm sorry Oracio; but my Cavaliers look like ass with Coach Blatt. I said I'd give him a fair shake and we're so far into the season that, honestly, he's out of excuses.

He had a full training camp, preseason, and damn near 40 games. We're approaching the All-Star break and we won't win our division and likely have no shot at all at having home court in any of our playoff series. Yet our players are averaging league high minutes and our best player is out due to overuse.

Maybe this is Jason Kidd redux and he just needs a different team and a different environment.

Whatever the case, Blatt no longer has the benefit of doubt; he's got to prove he belongs with this team. He's got to prove he's qualified for this prestigious position.

Stop talking about what you've done, show up for work, and get the job done.

First of all thank you for the thorough answer and for explaining your point of view of things, but I see it differently.
1. This team's roster was majorly flawed - No real bigs, no real defensive minded players, and lot's of players who are here not because of their skills but their relationship with Lebron (or as cards for future trades).
2. Lebron is the best player in the world and don't get me wrong I really do likes him but the whole "Chill mode" fiasco was so hurting building chemistry. It was such a bad example for the younger players and sometimes it was embarrassing watching his defensive effort.
3. Regarding the whole stats you mentioned and the whole comparison to last year. Since Andy's injury the roster is just a huge roller-coaster, James out, Kyrie out, Marion out. and add to this the flawed roster and you have the mixture of old players and rookies playing together - not a good kick-start for any coach.
4. Kevin Love is also in new environment he is not used to, of course it's also Blatt's fault that the players don't pass him enough but the guy seems to make the Houdini act too often and he doesn't asks for the ball he just runs to the post and disappear...

I can continue typing but I'm sure this all gonna change the following weeks with the new roster and with a refreshed Labron, and the learning that all of these guys had in this tough period...

EDIT: You haven't mentioned the injuries and the flawed roster the Cavs had - what is your take on that?

 

[roozy]

I just don't trust Lue, there was talk all offseason that he was in charge of the defense. What we're seeing is some of the worse defense I've ever seen a supposed contender play, just completely lazy.

 

[oracio]

Stop talking about what you've done, show up for work, and get the job done.

And I totally agree with this statement - this is Blatt's time to get the job done, because now he has a fair chance to do so - with a full and healthy roster (+- a week or so from now).
And I think if management trust Blatt, us fans should give him a fair chance as well, because even if you dislike him or thought of a better option for a coach, you can't say he had a fair chance to show what he can really do, you just can't.

EDIT:
And one of the things the Cavs lacked this season is stability, and I don't see how changing the coach right now, when the holes are being filled and the injured players are starting to get better, helps in this department

 

[gourimoko]

First of all thank you for the thorough answer and for explaining your point of view of things, but I see it differently.

K... let's go through them...

1. This team's roster was majorly flawed - No real bigs, no real defensive minded players, and lot's of players who are here not because of their skills but their relationship with Lebron (or as cards for future trades).

Ehh.. I can't really agree with this.

Offensively we are arguably the most talented team in the league, and many people have said this already.

LeBron, Irving, Love should have no problem scoring points in bucket loads and in the offseason every sports commentator said this - it isn't controversial.

The problem has been we've had no system whatsoever.

Remember all the talk of weaves and multiple screens and PnR/PnP play? We've seen none of that. Simply put, we don't have an offense. That's 100% on Coach Blatt because we're not talking about 1 game, we're talking about almost half a season.

Regarding the bigs, well, I think that's unfair. PF is a "big." Love, Varejao, Thompson are all above average power forwards in their own respect. Thompson is an above average offensive rebounder, energy big off the bench who plays decent defense. He has been playing fairly well.

Kevin Love came into this team as the "best PF in the NBA." What happened to that? I don't think Kevin Love forgot how to ball. What changed is the system in which he plays.

Now regarding a true center; well, Atlanta is the best team in the East and they'd be the first to admit they don't have a true center. The Heat have won 2 of the last 4 championships and they've never had an effective true center.

I'm not devaluing the importance of a center; but, simply not having one is no excuse for how poor not only our defense has been but how poor our offense has been as well.

In essence, your first criteria just doesn't support the conclusion that the Cavaliers system is underperforming compared to other teams with similar or worse rosters.

2. Lebron is the best player in the world and don't get me wrong I really do likes him but the whole "Chill mode" fiasco was so hurting building chemistry. It was such a bad example for the younger players and sometimes it was embarrassing watching his defensive effort.

Oracio, with all due respect, you're really reaching here. It's pure speculation to speak to the mental state of the younger players. We don't know what's going on in the locker room or in the heads of the players.

What we can say is that Blatt is responsible for the team's performance and things like this do not speak to his ability to run the team.

3. Regarding the whole stats you mentioned and the whole comparison to last year. Since Andy's injury the roster is just a huge roller-coaster, James out, Kyrie out, Marion out. and add to this the flawed roster and you have the mixture of old players and rookies playing together - not a good kick-start for any coach.

It's his job to make the best with what he has. Even with everything you've stated here, he has more often than not fielded the better team on the floor yet lost games.

I'm just not understanding why you think the buck doesn't stop with Blatt?

4. Kevin Love is also in new environment he is not used to, of course it's also Blatt's fault that the players don't pass him enough

So when is Blatt going to get him more shots? I mean who is coaching this team?

but the guy seems to make the Houdini act too often and he doesn't asks for the ball he just runs to the post and disappear...

Love is a known commodity. We know what he's capable of. We're blaming him for not getting the ball? He plays PF the coach has to instruct the players to run the ball through him.

This is in no way Kevin Love's fault. It's Blatt's.

I can continue typing but I'm sure this all gonna change the following weeks with the new roster and with a refreshed Labron, and the learning that all of these guys had in this tough period...

See that's the problem; I'm not sure this is going to change. We've been underperforming the entire season so far and Andy isn't coming back.

If things don't change by the All-Star break, would you agree that Blatt should be dismissed and the Cavaliers should use the break to install a new coach and a new system?

 

[oracio]

If things don't change by the All-Star break, would you agree that Blatt should be dismissed and the Cavaliers should use the break to install a new coach and a new system?

Personally I don't believe in replacing coaches mid-season, not in any sports I watch.
But I do think that giving Blatt a chance before we judge him for another month ('till the All-Star break), where he has a full roster for 3 weeks or so seems fair to me!

I can't comment on all your points you wrote to me, because of the time it will take me to write back with my opinions in a language which is not my native language, but I can say that your points are very "logic", and I've seen in Blatt's coaching career lots and lots of illogical moments where heart won over head, where a player who was a scrub suddenly shined when it mattered and a team that it took months to gell together and then they won it all.
Is it logical to get so many medals with the Russian team where your best players is Kirilenko?
Is it logical to win the Euroleague with a team which is underbudget by x10?

I know that you might say that Blatt excels in an underdog scenarios and the Cavs are no underdog, but aren't they now?

And I'm not talking about just luck or magic or whatever, but being rational doesn't always surprises you - because what you see is what you get. I believe in Blatt, of course he is out-of-the-box coach in the NBA, but the Cavs organization haven't won anything yet, Blatt had won plenty, and I'm sure he can bring his winning culture here - you just need to truly give him a chance, and I'm happy that it seems that the front office really try to fix their faults and give him a true chance - but are you?

Blatt is no flawless, I agree with few of your points, he doesn't have full control of the team, he has difficulties with them buying in, but I have a feeling that this is going to change soon with the additions we have here...