Cleveland Cavaliers Head Coach David Blatt Has Finally Outlasted the Criticism
Standing in the corridor between the Cleveland Cavaliers locker room and court on Jan. 4, general manager David Griffin hosted an impromptu press conference to discuss his head coach's future with the team.
After all, the Cavs were just 19-14 and failing to live up to their sky-high expectations. Fingers had to be pointed somewhere, and Cleveland's first-year head coach, David Blatt, appeared to be the main target.
It didn't help that LeBron James wasn't exactly singing Blatt's praises, either:
Ever since Griffin ensured the world that the Cavaliers weren't going to fire yet another head coach this early, times have gotten better for Blatt in Cleveland.
The Cavs have gone 46-18 since that day, a streak that includes a 12-3 postseason mark thus far.
What's even more promising for Blatt's future is the recent endorsement by James. As the four-time MVP told Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group, "Being a rookie coach in the NBA, being able to take his team to the Finals, I think he's done a helluva job."
Now that he's about to wrap up his first season, one that's included a Finals appearance and possibly a championship, Blatt's job is officially safe, right?
Blatt's Dilemma
Two factors have the ability to consistently haunt Blatt so long as he calls the shots on the Cavaliers' sideline.
The first, of course, is that he wasn't hired to coach this team. Blatt was staring down a rotation filled with Dion Waiters, Anthony Bennett, Sergey Karasev, Jarrett Jack and Tyler Zeller before James got homesick. Expectations were to sneak into the playoffs while attempting to mesh the games of Kyrie Irving and Andrew Wiggins. A challenge, to be sure, but nothing compared to what Blatt ended up facing this season.
Blatt's second curse is also his blessing: He gets to coach the best player in the world.
That's something few others have had the opportunity to claim. Only Paul Silas, Mike Brown, Erik Spoelstra and now Blatt have coached James at the professional level.
On the surface, Blatt will smile and talk about how lucky he is to be in this position. On the inside, thoughts of "I can't screw this up" have likely run rampant. He knows the kind of power James holds, and the ability of owner Dan Gilbert to eat the remaining contracts of ex-coaches.
While other lead men like Brett Brown in Philadelphia or Flip Saunders in Minnesota can have bad development years, Blatt's initial job in the NBA is "championship or bust."
He won't complain, of course. Blatt wouldn't have it any other way, as he told Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today:
"Given the choice between increased scrutiny and the deafening noise that comes along with having the opportunity to coach the greatest player in the game and have the greatest player in the game on your team and helping your team win, the choice is an easy one. I'd rather live in the middle of the battlefield than on the outskirts of town watching it.
"
There's plenty of men who would kill for his gig. It's just fair to point out, however, that Blatt will always have this pressure behind him, no matter how great his success.
Blatt's Backing
Winning has certainly helped keep the Blatt haters at bay, as well it should.
If anything, we've seen a reversal in perception, with players and analysts going out of their way to compliment the 56-year-old Boston area native.
With James' recent kind words came more plaudits from Irving, who's played for three coaches in four years while in Cleveland. Per Vardon:
"Kyrie Irving described Blatt's positive traits as "being able to listen and be receptive to what the players are saying and going out and making changes.
"If he feels like it's what's best for the team he's the coach and he's going to make a decision and we all respect that," Irving said. "It hasn't been anyone stepping on anybody's toes. Obviously there has been some disagreements here and there, but what team doesn't have disagreements?"
"
The best example of this would be found in the closing moments of a Game 4 road victory over the Chicago Bulls.
Tied at 84 with just 1.5 seconds left in the game, Blatt drew up a play that featured James inbounding the ball. Not taking the shot. Not serving as a decoy. Rather, simply passing the ball in bounds.
Of course, James had another idea, one that resulted in Matthew Dellavedova finding him for a game-winning, buzzer-beating jumper to tie the series 2-2.
Some would throw criticism at Blatt for his decisions there. Others would credit him for listening to players and trusting James to follow through.
One former coach has been very complimentary of Blatt and the work he's done in Cleveland.
"I think he was masterful in, he simplified the game," Jeff Van Gundy said, per Dan Labbe of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. "You know, he might have had one idea in how he was gonna come in and play, and then he saw what the players could do, should do and were willing to do and he modified his approach and it's been very successful."
The other key to Blatt's survival is his boss, Griffin.
After all, the two share a unique relationship, much like other GMs and coaches around the league. For Griffin, a rookie GM, Blatt marks the first head coach he ever hired. If Blatt succeeds, Griffin looks like a genius for plucking him out of Europe. If he fails, then Griffin's ability to do his job falls into question.
Griffin needs Blatt to win not only for the Cavaliers, but for himself as well.
Blatt's Future
Obviously, the way Cleveland finishes up its season will have a lot to do with Blatt's long-term future. As of publication, the Cavaliers were down 1-0 to the Golden State Warriors.
If Cleveland ends up winning the series and their first championship in franchise history, there can be no justification for getting rid of Blatt.
None.
Coaches who win titles don't get fired easily. Coaches who win titles in their first season in a championship-starved city should immediately be given lifetime extensions, private jets and a statue made of solid gold.
But what happens, let's say, if the Cavaliers end up getting swept?
After all, we just witnessed the Bulls can Tom Thibodeau after Chicago's series loss to the Cavs, despite the perception that he is one of the NBA's best bench bosses.
Even after all of Blatt's success leading to the Finals, would one poor series performance really cost him his job?
Probably not.
With Kevin Love (shoulder surgery) and Kyrie Irving (knee) missing games this postseason, the Cavaliers have been severely short-handed. Which others teams could lose their second- and third-best players for stretches and still even reach the Finals?
If the Cavs lose now, Blatt has that excuse, whether he makes it or not. If the Cavaliers win, no one will talk about his performance. Rather, they will focus on James and the rest of the Cavs players.
Either way, it appears Blatt is safe in Cleveland…for now.
Greg Swartz has covered the Cleveland Cavaliers and NBA for Bleacher Report since 2010.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
