David Blatt Says Cavaliers Are 'Team to Beat Right Now' for 2015-16 NBA Title

It seems as though former head coach David Blatt does not hold a grudge against the Cleveland Cavaliers, as he believes his former squad is the team to beat in the 2016 NBA playoffs.

Despite being canned midway through the season with Cleveland sitting atop the Eastern Conference after reaching the NBA Finals last year, Blatt indicated that he admires the job new head coach Tyronn Lue and his staff have done, per ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin.

"I think they're playing great," Blatt said Saturday. "I think that the players and the coaching staff are doing a terrific job, I really do. And I think the fact that they are healthy and have actually even added a piece or two makes them the team to beat right now, in my opinion. That's really all I want to say."

This is not the first time Blatt has supported Cleveland since he was fired. While in Atlanta during the second round of the playoffs, he reached out and offered support to Lue, his former assistant, according to Cleveland.com's Chris Haynes.

"He's just a good person," Lue said. "Always encouraging, always supportive. He just said how proud he was of me and what we're doing, and that means a lot coming from him. His friendship is something I truly appreciate and value."

Blatt was 83-40 in 123 regular-season games in Cleveland and 14-6 in last season's playoffs. He had his team up 2-1 against the Golden State Warriors in the Finals despite losing Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love to knee and shoulder injuries, respectively.

Lue is off to a 10-0 start in his playoff coaching career, but he is leading a different team than Blatt had in the postseason. Irving and Love are healthy, and the point guard is leading the team in scoring with 24.8 points per game.

The development of Love has been Lue's best accomplishment since replacing Blatt. Love finally seems comfortable in the Cavaliers offense, and his skill set is being properly utilized. He is averaging a double-double in the playoffs, with 18.4 points and 10.9 rebounds per game, while knocking down 44.9 percent of his three-pointers.

This is the production Blatt failed to get out of Love.

It is nice to see Blatt has a positive attitude about his split from the Cavaliers. He may get another chance in the NBA as soon as next season, as ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported he is in the mix for the Houston job.

Hopefully, he can learn from his experience in Cleveland and succeed elsewhere.

All statistics are courtesy of ESPN.com.