Criticism of Cleveland Cavaliers Coach David Blatt Reaching Fever Pitch
It wasn't supposed to be like this for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Even with a re-imagined core, two superstars light on playoff experience, a first-year coach with no NBA credentials in David Blatt and LeBron James' repeated orations on the paramountcy of patience, the freshly fashioned Cavaliers were supposed to be something special immediately—a preeminent title contender among Eastern Conference peons.
Instead, they find themselves in the middle, games removed from the race for home-court advantage, and the luster of their newfangled superteam is now waning. And while there's plenty of blame to be dispersed at will, the brunt of Cleveland's present plight is fast falling on coach Blatt.
Unmet Expectations
Growing pains were always going to be part of the Cavaliers' onset time together. But marginal progression is mutating into doubt and discord, per ESPN.com's Marc Stein and Brian Windhorst:
"There is a growing level of worry within the Cleveland Cavaliers organization about first-year coach David Blatt and his ability to reach the team, according to league sources.
Sources told ESPN.com that there is rising concern in team circles about the level of response that Blatt is getting on the floor, with Blatt himself acknowledging that the Cavaliers "lost our energy and we lost our competitiveness" in Sunday night's embarrassing home loss to Detroit.
"
Fair or not, this is the implicit risk head honchos face. When their teams aren't faring well—especially those forecasted to be great—they are completely culpable.
Blatt's case is even more cut and dry because of the roster he lucked into and the wonders he was supposed to work. Though sources told CBS Sports' Ken Berger his arrival "doomed" the Cavaliers' attempts to lure James back, Cleveland's king returned anyway, amid fanfare and optimism, some of which was rooted in Blatt's basketball genius.
Under his reign, the Cavaliers would play positionless and potent basketball. Acquiring Kevin Love only made his model easier to install. The team would move the ball and shoot and score with pace.
Obvious defensive shortcomings that were acknowledged time and again ahead of 2014-15 seldom spawned expectation-curbing concern. Coached by Blatt and anchored by superstar talents, the Cavaliers offense could be historically great, rendering any apparent flaws inconsequential footnotes.
Yet, up until now, the team's defense is the only thing that's lived up to its potential, proving to be every bit as bad as envisioned. The Cavaliers rank 23rd in defensive efficiency, allowing 105.4 points per 100 possessions, and dead last in rim protection.
The offense, meanwhile, isn't razing records.
While effective, it isn't powerful enough to compensate for the Cavaliers' disastrous defensive standing. The Cavs rank fourth in points scored per 100 possessions, but just 26th in possessions used per 48 minutes and 16th in ball movement.
As Yahoo Sports' Kelly Dwyer writes, this is not the offense Cleveland bargained for:
"The man they hired to coach, David Blatt, has largely abandoned some of the more complicated aspects of his international offenses in order to kowtow to NBA orthodoxy, and partially as a result the Cavs are only fourth in the NBA on that end. That might seem like an achievement worth crowing over, especially when considering all the new faces on board, but fourth isn’t good enough. The Eastern-leading Toronto Raptors, for example, are ranked tops in the NBA on offense, which is enough to move past the mitigating detail that is their 18th-ranked defense.
"
Injuries to Kyrie Irving and Anderson Varejao have admittedly messed with continuity, but Blatt hasn't been able to tie much of anything together at this point. The ball sticks, Love is often relegated to glorified-James Jones duty, standing in the corner waiting for a kick-out, and there are only temporary traces of the movement-mobbed system Blatt was supposed to implement.
All of that has helped leave the Cavaliers at 18-12, owners of the lowly Eastern Conference's fifth-best record, with a point differential (1.9) comparable to the 15-17, injury-addled Oklahoma City Thunder (1.6).
Growing Concern
Following Cleveland's most recent loss to the doldrums-dwelling Detroit Pistons, Blatt is naturally starting to feel the heat, encountering criticism for his inadequate adjustments and the Cavaliers' lack of progress.
Questions and reports have started to reflect the Cavaliers' prolonged stay in the middle. A reporter tried coaxing James into commenting on Blatt's NBA "learning experience," according to Northeast Ohio Media Group's Joe Vardon—an opportunity James demonstratively declined.
Players also seem to "connect" better with lead assistant Tyronn Lue, per Windhorst. And to top it all off, Blatt has publicly derided his team's energy at times, only to have his sentiments rebuffed by the single-most important person in Cleveland: James.
"It's not an excuse, it's just an explanation for your question," Blatt said of the Cavaliers' injuries and subsequent play, per Vardon. "That's the reality of it. We didn't fight enough to battle the difficulties that we've had."
There's a certain level of respect to be found in Blatt's cheeky candor. Some rookie head coaches would bend to public prerogative, fielding lineups and making decisions that allow them to win press conferences and perhaps even headlines. But not Blatt.
Different occasions have seen him do different things. From carving out a role for Joe Harris to using, then benching, then again using Mike Miller, his rule has been daring.
Most recently, he benched Love for the entire fourth quarter in the Cavaliers' come-from-behind win over the Orlando Magic on Friday. His team was rolling defensively, limiting Orlando to 14 points on 23.8 percent shooting, so he allowed Dion Waiters, Tristan Thompson, Matthew Dellavedova and Miller to play the entire period, with James himself logging more than nine minutes.
Blatt received little resistance on the matter—in part because the Cavaliers won; mostly because the team's defensive rating improves by 6.3 points per 100 possessions with Love off the floor. He's allowing opponents to shoot 63.2 percent inside six feet of the basket, and there are times when he's a defensive bystander, idly watching as the Cavaliers fold under incessant dribble penetration and ball movement.
Love, to his credit, took Blatt's decision like a pro, playing the part of towel-waver to perfection. There was no hint of postgame bitterness in player comments either, only praise and optimism.
"Kevin Love sacrificed in the fourth quarter. He didn't play and was helping, cheering, slapping hands every time we came to the sidelines," James said, via the Northeast Ohio Media Group's Chris Haynes. "We took a step forward in that and I hope everyone seen that. I hope everyone saw it. I know I did. I saw it."
That step forward was promptly followed by a 23-point massacre at the hands of a clearly inferior opponent, which can therefore be considered a lateral move or step backwards—not to mention be used as fodder for something more detrimental, per Grantland's Zach Lowe:
Sideline gall works against Blatt to a point. Making those tough calls, benching one of his best players in order to secure victory, opens him up to a world of additional criticism.
Inescapable Pressure
Less than halfway through an inaugural season, now isn't the time to start calling for jobs and declaring doom. Blatt himself has denied rumors of ruffled feathers, per ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin:
He isn't splitting hairs about the Cavaliers' record either:
Much, if not most, of the criticism dogging Blatt can be deemed hyperbolic. The Cavaliers will in all likelihood be fine. They have too much talent to implode, and no matter their playoff seeding, they have the potential to steamroll any one opponent.
Then again, Cleveland is no ordinary team, so this is no ordinary time.
Thin on trade assets, short on able bodies and lacking chemistry, the onus of all that's wrong is falling—and will continue to fall—on Blatt. He isn't safeguarded against pressure, even this early. Not with Love expected to explore free agency and James playing on a short-term deal. Blatt was hired before the latter's return and, in this sense, remains part of a previous regime and at risk of being viewed as such.
Right or wrong, the burden of proof now lies with Blatt and his ability to steer the Cavaliers toward a more acceptable place inside a conference they were supposed to dominate, yet as of now, are only existing within.
*Stats courtesy of NBA.com and are accurate as of games played on Dec. 28, 2014.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
