David Blatt calls Cavs ‘team to beat right now’

David Blatt is not letting his firing cloud his perception of the Cleveland Cavaliers. He actually views them as potentially the favorites to win the NBA championship right now.

Blatt ironically was in Toronto this weekend to appear as a guest speaker for a coaching clinic — the same weekend his former team was in town to face the Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals. He ended up talking with ESPN’s Dave McMenamin about the Cavaliers.

“I think they’re playing great,” Blatt told McMenamin. “I think that the players and the coaching staff are doing a terrific job, I really do. And I think the fact that they are healthy and have actually even added a piece or two makes them the team to beat right now, in my opinion. That’s really all I want to say.”

Blatt was fired by the Cavs in late January despite leading the team to a conference-best 30-11 record in a move that came as a shock to most. He was replaced by his former assistant, Tyronn Lue, whose record as the team’s head coach was inferior during the regular season. However, the Cavs started the postseason 10-0 entering Saturday’s Game 3.

Blatt stated his support for the Cavs’ coaches and says he still keeps in touch with them. Lue even shared that he spoke with Blatt by phone on Saturday.

Though Blatt was let go by the Cavs, many teams see him as a very good coach. That’s why he was a strong candidate for the Knicks coaching job, and why he is also in the mix for the Rockets job.