It has always seemed that it was just a matter of time until David Blatt’s name came across our timelines and televisions in regards to his firing. Few of us probably expected that to be Friday afternoon, but there probably wasn’t going to be a better time than Friday.
While it seemed somewhat surprising, it makes sense. It comes at a time when the Cavaliers are coming off of a brutal loss against the Golden State Warriors on national television, and a not so impressive win against the Brooklyn Nets.
It’s been well known that LeBron James and Blatt did not have the best relationship. It had its highs and (very low) lows. And even though the Cavaliers are 30–11 this season and atop the Eastern Conference, GM David Griffin did not like the tone in the locker room, the mold of the team, and ultimately pulled the plug on Blatt’s tenure.
This works, because right now, even at 30–11, the Cavaliers haven’t really caught anybody’s eye. They’ve been good, there’s no doubt about that. But they don’t strike the fear in you that the top powers in the NBA typically do, like a Warriors or a Spurs do today. That’s saying something, considering the Cavaliers are undoubtedly the top team in the Eastern Conference.
But you don’t see that signature smile come across the face of LeBron James as often as you used to. The attitude and mold of the team just hasn’t quite been right. There’s no fun.
There have also been rumors of Timofey Mozgov and Kevin Love being shopped. That, on top of the midway point of the season among us, created the perfect time for the Cavaliers to make the change, and give somebody else a chance on a team with one of the greatest players the game has ever seen with a limited number of those great years left.
Tyronn Lue has been with the Cavaliers since 2014 as an assistant coach, and the players have bought into him and his attitude. To bring him in now, is to get him experience heading into the playoffs. Because the Cavaliers will be there no matter who is coaching the team, but the intricacies and the team’s morale could be in a much better place by then.
It seems like that is something that David Griffin wants. “What I see is that we need to build a collective spirit, a strength of spirit, a collective will,” Griffin said at his press conference Friday. “Elite teams always have that, and you see it everywhere. To be truly elite, we have to buy into a set of values and principles that we believe in. That becomes our identity.”
At the very least, that’s what Lue offers. A chance to bring solidarity, a collective will. “I am more than confident that he has the pulse of our team and that he can generate the buy-in required to start to refine the habits and culture that we’ve yet to build,” Griffin said.
Cleveland.com’s Chris Haynes said that Blatt was reluctant to criticize star players even when they clearly messed up a play, and it took for Lue to step in for that to change. Lue was clearly a leader in the greatest capacity that he could be without overstepping Blatt, but he did when necessary.
The Cavaliers clearly believe in him, as they immediately signed him to a three-year deal, as opposed to putting him in an interim position that we see so often across professional sports when a coach is terminated. Lue now has half of a season to make his impact on one of the most talented teams in the league, in hopes of making the most of this season, as opposed to waiting for 2016-17.
We don’t know too much about him or his philosophies in terms of coaching, but in a world where we just saw Luke Walton lead the Warriors to a 39–4 record in Steve Kerr’s absence, the Cavaliers are willing to attempt a similar style with a young coach of their own. Whether you think they’re smart or crazy for trying, is up to you.
But it absolutely sounds like Griffin has taken notice of what is happening in Oakland. Right now, the risk in firing Blatt was very low, especially when you consider he wasn’t a huge or legendary name in the NBA.
This is yet another step in an effort to bring a title to a city that so desperately craves one. Time will tell if it works out for Cleveland.
