On Friday, the NBA world was shocked to learn the Cavaliers fired head coach David Blatt. While Blatt is now out of work, one of the NBA’s best coaches feels that may not last very long.
Cavaliers players thought Kevin Love being traded was the reason they were assembled. Instead, they were surprised to learn of the decision to let Blatt go. Members of the team weren’t the only ones caught off guard. Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle was as well.
Prior to his team’s game against the Thunder on Friday, Carlisle had some strong feelings on the move made by the Cavaliers, going as far as to call it an embarrassment.
Carlisle calls David Blatt's firing "a shocker." "I know integrity. I know knowledge … David Blatt is going to be a sought-after coach."
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) January 23, 2016
Carlisle adds: "I'm embarrassed for our league that something like this could happen."
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) January 23, 2016
Add Carlisle on Blatt: "The other side of this is a good man has been liberated."
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) January 23, 2016
Blatt was hired by Cleveland after enjoying success in various leagues throughout Europe. In his first season with the Cavaliers, he led the team to a 53-29 record and an appearance in last year’s NBA Finals. So far this season, Cleveland is 30-11 and has the best record in the Eastern Conference. However, that wasn’t enough for Blatt to keep his job.
The Cavaliers are in “win now” mode and despite their record, the organization clearly didn’t feel Blatt was the man to help deliver a championship to Cleveland. He was never a favorite of LeBron James, there were apparently issues in the locker room that began to mount, and Kevin Love has not looked the same since arriving in Cleveland.
Where David Blatt ends up next, of course, remains to be seen. However, if he ends up coaching another team, we can remember Rick Carlisle told us so.
