David Blatt Rumors: Latest Buzz, Speculation Surrounding Cavs Head Coach

David Blatt has been at the center of rumors saying the Cleveland Cavaliers are concerned the head coach is not reaching his players. However, general manager David Griffin has publicly backed Blatt.

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Cavs Have Already Discussed Firing Blatt

Monday, Jan. 19

Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal reported the Cavaliers have already considered parting ways with Blatt:

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The Cavs understand they’ve already fired two coaches in the last 21 months. Adding a third to the list would be a crushing blow to any semblance of stability.

Regardless of what they say now, the idea of parting ways with Blatt was absolutely discussed internally. But the organization dug in its heels and refused to cave to James.

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Lloyd also compared the situation to what the Miami Heat faced in 2010-11, James' first year with the team:

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For months, I wrote and said on the radio that Erik Spoelstra always had the backing of Pat Riley, even in James’ earliest and orneriest days. I questioned (doubted?) whether Cavs owner Dan Gilbert would show Blatt that same support. To this point, to the surprise of many, he has.

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Bucher Weighs In On Blatt's Future in Cleveland

Thursday, Jan. 15

Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report weighed in on David Blatt's future in Cleveland as the Cavaliers continue to struggle:

Cleveland has lost six straight games and nine of its last 10 as the Cavaliers sit in sixth place in the Eastern Conference.

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Griffin Backs Blatt, Denies Reports

Sunday, Jan. 4

Ethan Skolnick of Bleacher Report passed along comments from Cavaliers GM David Griffin on David Blatt's security as head coach:

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Cavaliers Reportedly Concerned About Blatt's Ability to Reach Players

Monday, Dec. 29

From the moment LeBron James returned to Cleveland and brought Kevin Love along for the ride, the clock was ticking on first-year coach David Blatt to make the Cavaliers a championship contender. A disappointing 18-12 stretch later, and there is increasing chatter about the Cavaliers making a coaching change.  

ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst and Marc Stein reported Monday that there is concern within the organization that Blatt is not reaching players. In particular, there is concern about Blatt's ability to coax maximum effort out of his players, which has been an issue on both ends of the floor all season.

Reports of internal discord should not come as a surprise given their timing. The Cavaliers dropped to 18-12 on Sunday with an embarrassing 103-80 home loss to the lowly Detroit Pistons. Cleveland shot just 37.8 percent from the field and allowed Detroit to make 17 three-pointers, continuing a trend of porous perimeter defense that's been a consistent source of frustration.

After Sunday's loss, the Cavaliers rank 23rd in defensive efficiency. There were inherent concerns about Cleveland's ability to defend coming into the season, but those have been exacerbated by lax effort and injuries. James has regressed into a defensive minus, Kyrie Irving and Love have never been solid defenders and Cleveland just lost its best rim protector, Anderson Varejao, to an Achilles injury. 

"We're not a very good team," James told reporters Sunday. "As far as on the court, we're still trying to find our way as well. We've won some good games, we've lost some games. But right now, we're just not very good in every aspect of the game that we need to be to compete every night."

Blatt responded to claims he's lost the locker room on Monday, per ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin:

Regardless of the veracity of the reports, the Cavaliers don't have much time for a turnaround. They're currently the Eastern Conference's No. 5 seed and quickly losing ground to Atlanta and Toronto atop the standings. With Love and James both potentially hitting the free-agent market this summer, Cleveland is running on an expedited timetable. 

Because of that, Blatt may wind up being the scapegoat.

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