The Cleveland Cavaliers should’ve fired coach David Blatt before the season started.
I know that sounds strange when, earlier today, I reacted to the news of his firing by calling it an inexplicable move. However, let me back things up a bit.
With the dust finally settling after what certainly appeared to be an out-of-nowhere canning by the best team in the Eastern Conference, we’re starting to get more clarity on just why Blatt was fired after a season and a half. Reports are saying that while the move certainly stunned fans and media due to how sudden it was, this was something which had been cooking up for some time behind closed doors.
Word is Blatt had officially lost the locker room as of late. At the same time, numerous reporters are also claiming he never really had the best grip on it to begin with. Players apparently felt as though he was in over his head, which explains why they so often could be seen going to assistant (and now head) coach Tyronn Lue. And, of course, there was the fact Blatt wasn’t exactly well respected by LeBron James.
The more the revealing details came out, the talk of unrest, of a despondent and fractured Cleveland locker room even after wins, the more I couldn’t help but come to the conclusion I opened this column with. If there were so many problems with Blatt, if this was as deeply-rooted as everyone is claiming, then this move is well overdue, and the Cavs made a mistake in dragging it out for so long.
From everything that’s come to light today during Blatt’s dismissal from the team, it certainly doesn’t sound like the issues were limited to only this season. Former Cav Brendan Haywood spoke on SiriusXM today about the problems he saw with the team last year. There were claims of preferential treatment of James, skipping over his mistakes in the film room and not holding him accountable for struggles. James Jones reportedly even addressed the issue with Blatt, but it seemed to fall on deaf ears.
Clearly these aren’t the moves of a savvy head coach, regardless of how much prowess James brings to the table. At the same time, if this all took place last year, something which apparently rubbed everyone in the locker room the wrong way, why did it take until half a season later for Cleveland to finally act on it?
If the Cavs have always treated Lue as if he were their head coach (and they have), why wasn’t he just promoted in the offseason? Why did this all occur when Cleveland was 41 games into the following year, sitting atop the Eastern Conference and in much better shape than it was at this time last season?
The point is we heard some very damning evidence regarding why Blatt was fired by the Cavs today. For all intents and purposes, it was a move that was a long time coming. However, since this was definitely the case, why did the Cavs wait so long to pull the trigger?
Blatt was on the hot seat from the moment Cleveland brought in James. He was always going to be the Cavs’ fall guy when things got tough, blamed for the losses but never credited for wins. Since the team just plain didn’t respect Blatt, you can make an argument for why it makes sense to promote Lue. For all we know, he might end up being the final piece to a championship puzzle for Cleveland, regardless of how you feel about Blatt.
It doesn’t sound like Blatt was ever taken seriously by his team, and it also seems like there were serious issues taking place well before today.
However, Cleveland didn’t act on it quick enough. The team let this drag out much longer than it needed to. From what we’ve heard today, Blatt has been treading on thin ice for a long time, and that includes last offseason. If everything that’s surfaced about him is true, if this move was as inevitable as it’s being made to be, the Cavs should’ve just parted ways over the summer.
Instead, they waited until midway through a solid season, making the firing that much more of a PR blunder.
