John Beilein stunned the basketball world on Monday when he agreed to a deal to become the next head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the longtime Michigan coach must now say farewell to the place he has called home since 2007.
Shortly after news surfaced that he is heading to Cleveland, Beilein took to Twitter to thank the Michigan community for its support.
Thanks to everyone at the Univ of Michigan for their incredible support these last 12 years. Our fans , alums , leaders, players and students are AMAZING It has been a heck of a ride and I hope you enjoyed our teams and staff as much as I did !Go Blue Forever ! #GoBlue
— John Beilein (@JohnBeilein) May 13, 2019
Beilein was linked to the Detroit Pistons job last offseason, but he eventually withdrew from consideration and said he did not anticipate being interested in any NBA opportunities going forward. Obviously, that changed in a hurry.
The Cavaliers were reportedly interested in Rick Pitino and some other smaller names, but Beilein was not mentioned throughout their search. It sounds like the agreement is one that truly did come together quickly, and you can’t blame Michigan fans for being extremely disappointed about it.
