David Blatt: Latest News, Rumors and Speculation on Cavaliers Coach's Future
In his first season as an NBA coach, David Blatt led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Finals. You would think that's enough to gain him long-term job security. As with everything in the LeBron James-Blatt relationship, though, things are not always as they seem.
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Blatt's Job Safe, But LeBron Relationship Still Rocky
Thursday, June 18
In a piece highlighting the dysfunction between James and Blatt, ESPN.com's Marc Stein cites colleague Brian Windhorst, who says the coach will return in part because James "likes having Blatt to kick around." Stein's piece is highly critical of James throughout, saying his actions toward Blatt are "unbecoming" of a player of his stature.
The relationship between Blatt and James has never come close to bordering on ideal. For most of the season, it was civil at best. Sometimes, it was less. Numerous reports from the regular season painted James as the puppet master and Blatt as little more than a figurehead, highlighted by claims the four-time MVP hijacked the offense when it didn't fit his liking.
While the relationship appeared to progress as the Cavaliers began winning, one would be foolish to believe they were 100 percent on the same page. James overruled Blatt on a final play call during Cleveland's second-round series against the Chicago Bulls and then put his coach on public blast after he made a game-winning basket.
"I was supposed to take the ball out," James told reporters after the Game 4 win. "I told Coach there was no way I'm taking the ball out unless I could shoot it over the backboard and go in. So, I told him, have somebody else take the ball out and give me the ball and get out of the way."
Stein's report highlighted a similar situation from the Finals, wherein James displayed so much disdain with a particular play call that Blatt erased it and tried again. The ESPN reporter used the word "emasculate" to describe how James treated Blatt behind the scenes.
The picture painted is one of a toxic environment in which a hapless coach time and again cedes control to a player whose internal power borders on an autocracy. Given how fragile coach-player relationships are at the NBA level—trust can be lost forever in an instant while it's gained incrementally—it's hard to imagine Blatt had the respect of anyone by the end of the season.
In fact, one of the lasting images of Game 6 is J.R. Smith looking totally disinterested as Blatt gives his halftime speech.
Logic would dictate the Cavaliers replace Blatt for someone who might reach James and thus the locker room. Cleveland does not have any plans on doing so. Blatt told reporters at his year-end news conference he "absolutely" plans to return, and general manager David Griffin did his best to quell any speculation.
"I really appreciate the fact that there is this 'cool' narrative hanging out there, and you can say this forever," Griffin said. "It literally never has to go away. ... No matter how many times we win, no matter how much we win, it never has to go away because it's all conjecture."
Blatt was also glowing in his praise of James, who averaged 35.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game in the Cavaliers' six-game Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors. Listening to everyone in Cleveland, it would appear all the speculation has been contrived out of thin air. LeBron and Blatt are fine, and everyone will go into next season perfectly happy.
Actions paint a far different picture.
Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.
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