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The Cleveland Cavaliers should hire David Blatt as their new head coach!

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He went back to Europe and is making millions there. Every media member and insider always says this kind of thing, but no one can ever give a real concrete reason he was fired and why he gets no respect in the league. If you have information please share, but people are so smug that it was 100% the right move without saying so.

Behind closed doors, he was the laughing stock of the NBA.
  • Players laughed at his ridiculous smugness when he'd show up late to practices
  • Coaches laughed when he'd put his foot in his mouth during press conferences, like when he compared himself to a fighter pilot
  • Front offices laughed when they'd see him try to Kowtow to Lebron while Lebron sneered at him
  • He nearly blew a playoff game by calling a time out he didn't have
The list goes on.

So he might be great in Europe, but for NBA insiders, he was and still is a big joke

Whether you think it is deserved or not, that's on you, but no one in the NBA wants to be the next guy to get laughed at for hiring him
 
Behind closed doors, he was the laughing stock of the NBA.
  • Players laughed at his ridiculous smugness when he'd show up late to practices
  • Coaches laughed when he'd put his foot in his mouth during press conferences, like when he compared himself to a fighter pilot
  • Front offices laughed when they'd see him try to Kowtow to Lebron while Lebron sneered at him
  • He nearly blew a playoff game by calling a time out he didn't have
The list goes on.

So he might be great in Europe, but for NBA insiders, he was and still is a big joke

Whether you think it is deserved or not, that's on you, but no one in the NBA wants to be the next guy to get laughed at for hiring him
So he has a prickly personality and he made a bad (non)call in his first playoff series; I swear the stuff I see used as ammunition to deride Blatt is the worst kind of "grasping at straws."

Pop and Carlisle were vocal about Blatt's dismissal and I'd say that they're two pretty revered figures in the NBA landscape.
 
Pop and Carlisle were vocal about Blatt's dismissal and I'd say that they're two pretty revered figures in the NBA landscape.

That's true, and Pops is the only guy who would conceivably hire him. And yet behind closed doors in NBA circles, deserved or not, Blatt's name is a punch line, not a synonym for basketball ability.

Gilbert doesn't like getting laughed at, and promoting Lue has been the only coaching choice the team has made since 2010 that hasn't gotten him laughed at. Made some people angry, but it hasn't been a joke, like firing Lue 6 games into the season, with no plan, only to get shamed by Larry Drew.
 
The grossest part of this post in Rodney Hood starting at SF in front of Cedi.
 
I think Blatt is exactly that. He is the perfect person for the job. He was initially brought in to coach a young, rebuilding team, and he didn't have an opportunity to actually do so.

Blatt is one of the best developmental coaches. Lead guards especially and bigs historically excel under him. Blatt is a freak for fundamentals, he doesn't accept anything but perfection and he actully likes coaching and teaching, and the players that play under him respect him for that because while he is hard and tough, he always rewards players that give their all and play right.

Blatt was cucked by Lebron, the team and the reporters. This is why he can't get a job in the NBA. It's a damn shame really. I think he is a perfect coach for this team and the Cavs would be extremely fortunate to have him back considering their current state; I just don't believe Blatt is the one that will accept the job because of the history.
I’m not sure if I agree, but I think your rationale is solid.

There’s just too much water under the bridge for either side to ever consider a reunion.

This is why I get so annoyed by the “bring back Blatt” posts. It’s not because I hate Blatt or think he’s a bad coach, but I think it would be a bad idea to bring him back because of all the historical baggage attached to his first time here.

Is Blatt to blame for that? Some of it, yes. But LeBron also deserves blame, as does the Cavs front office for too quickly going down the “win now at all costs” path. I think the Cavs could have done something more like LA, and took their time that first season or two before making so many “win now” reactionary moves.

But, regardless of who’s to blame, the fact remains that it makes no sense to bring back Blatt. Cavs need to take their time and hire the right coach.

I have NO PROBLEM with the Cavs firing Lue without a replacement. It was the right decision, and it doesn’t hurt a damn thing for them to take their time and find the right coach. ESPN can go suck a dick. So what if the Cavs didn’t have a backup plan?! The last thing I want them to do is to hurry up and pick the next coach. I’d rather pay Drew for a year, develop young players, and then find the right coach for the Cavs over the next year or two.

David Blatt is not the only smart coach willing to consider working for the Cavs. We are not desperate. So let’s please stop calling for the Blatt rehire. It makes no sense. From any perspective, including Blatt’s perspective as well.
 
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C'mon people.
Blatt started off his second year 30-11, and got canned.
They aren't going to bring him back.
I liked him. But I didn't have to deal with him on a daily basis.
 
Behind closed doors, he was the laughing stock of the NBA.
  • Players laughed at his ridiculous smugness when he'd show up late to practices
  • Coaches laughed when he'd put his foot in his mouth during press conferences, like when he compared himself to a fighter pilot
  • Front offices laughed when they'd see him try to Kowtow to Lebron while Lebron sneered at him
  • He nearly blew a playoff game by calling a time out he didn't have
The list goes on.

So he might be great in Europe, but for NBA insiders, he was and still is a big joke

Whether you think it is deserved or not, that's on you, but no one in the NBA wants to be the next guy to get laughed at for hiring him

Yeah we heard all this before. Sounds like pettiness from the organization and others. Which rookie head coach was ever treated like that? He has a better winning percentage than probably anyone outside of Kerr.

I'm sure pop Carlisle or Kerr would still hire him.

Sounds like he was too smug. I'm really surprised he acted that way being illuminated by the light of Lebrons humility.

Coaches and front offices who never went to the finals were laughing pretty hard.

For me seeing Lue flounder the last couple years has me convinced Blatt would have won that finals as well. Might not have been so spectacular I agree because he might have not had to go 7 games.
 
The propaganda campaign against him was something I’ve never seen considering the results he got. Those same media members who propagated that B.S. never said a word as Lue held the team back. We would’ve been better off being coached by Drew the last 3 years.

However, I will add that he needed to humble himself. I remember how he awkwardly botched a simple question like how he felt after getting his first win in the league. I hope he gets another shot but some level of self reflection will do him wonders.

That level of self awareness on what he did and didn’t do probably helped Bill Belichick get over his failures in Cleveland and made him the legendary coach he is today.
 
That's true, and Pops is the only guy who would conceivably hire him. And yet behind closed doors in NBA circles, deserved or not, Blatt's name is a punch line, not a synonym for basketball ability.

Gilbert doesn't like getting laughed at, and promoting Lue has been the only coaching choice the team has made since 2010 that hasn't gotten him laughed at. Made some people angry, but it hasn't been a joke, like firing Lue 6 games into the season, with no plan, only to get shamed by Larry Drew.
its is a sad state of affairs for the NBA if it was true no GM would ire blatt who is a proven winner .

Cavs would not have had a championship without him. He installed all the defensive schemes the Cavs utilized for their championship run.

The next season. The Cavs went from 4 schemes to 1. and a horrible one at that.

I don't think NBA GMS are as Moronic as you believe

Once again David Blatt isn't desperate to coach in the NBA and I believe he was only interested in 2 or 4 openings since he left that Cavs.
 
https://www.slamonline.com/archives/david-blatt-head-coaching-job-nba-next-season/

After being fired by the Cavaliers in January of 2016, David Blatt is aiming for an NBA return in 2017-18.

Blatt was among the final candidates for openings in New York, Houston and Sacramento last summer, and still has eyes on a head coaching job in the League next season.

Even if it is not Blatt, we need a guy like Blatt who is used to implementing his system from the ground up, and integrating players from different backgrounds. That's a different skill set than the kind of guy best for a fully developed team of veterans. I'd love Messina, but I'm thinking he's Pop's designated successor, and won't leave there unless he believes he's not.

Here's an interesting article on Messina that discusses his philosophy on offense, and on player develpment. Basically, he is less of a believer in a set "system", and more of a believer in maximizing the skills of the players he has, and having those players read the defense. But he does believe pretty strongly in an inside/out game, and having a strong post presence if possible.

Coach's Resume: A look at Ettore Messina

https://www.denverstiffs.com/2015/3/11/8189423/coachs-resume-a-look-at-ettore-messina
 
That level of self awareness on what he did and didn’t do probably helped Bill Belichick get over his failures in Cleveland and made him the legendary coach he is today.
Sometimes failure is a very good teacher. Blatt himself admitted he didn't handle some things well when he took over for the Cavs, and I imagine humility -- even false humility -- is something we'd see more often.
 
I’m not sure if I agree, but I think your rationale is solid.

There’s just too much water under the bridge for either side to ever consider a reunion.

This is why I get so annoyed by the “bring back Blatt” posts. It’s not because I hate Blatt or think he’s a bad coach, but I think it would be a bad idea to bring him back because of all the historical baggage attached to his first time here.

That historical baggage was very much a function of the particular players, etc., he had at the time. It is possible that there wouldn't be a single player remaining from that team by the time Blatt would come here, and it would be a different GM. It would be as close to a fresh start as it would be possible to have.

David Blatt is not the only smart coach willing to consider working for the Cavs. We are not desperate. So let’s please stop calling for the Blatt rehire. It makes no sense. From any perspective, including Blatt’s perspective as well.

I wouldn't advocate for Blatt to be our first choice. But I'd certainly want him over some of the other names that are going to be tossed around. And as far as Blatt's perspective....he (and the Cavs) thought he was going to be coaching a very young, developmental team, and teaching them the right way to play basketball. That's what he wanted at the time. But that's pretty much the opposite of what happened once we signed LBJ, traded for KL, etc.. The team he'd be taking over next year would be the perfect example of the type of team for which he is best suited. Fewer vets with attitudes, more smart young players willing to learn.

It may not be a perfect fit because of his first tenure here, but it is likely to be a much better fit than some of the other guys whose names are likely to be floating out there.
 

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