When the Cleveland Cavaliers hired head coach David Blatt, the scenario of Lebron James returning home was merely a dream, but then came the letter, and suddenly David Blatt’s job became that much harder.
Blatt has undoubtedly gone through his struggles this season, and many Cleveland fans have become fed up with Blatt’s coaching thus far.
However, its not just fans that are adamant on the Cavaliers firing Blatt, it’s the media as well.
ESPN First Take co-stars Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless have stated they believe Blatt is on his way out. Smith stated “I believe David Blatt will be gone after the season.” Bayless chimed in saying “I wish Dan Gilbert would just go ahead and put David Blatt out of his misery.”
While two opinionated journalists, and a huge minority of fans, might not be enough to get Cavs management to cut ties with Blatt, a lack of player support might do so. So much has been made about the LeBron push during the team’s 107-100 loss to the Phoenix Suns.
LeBron claims he was just “protecting” his coach from further trouble, but that hardly seems like the case. There was also an incident during the Cavs Christmas Day game against Miami when LeBron blatantly ignored Blatt’s timeout request. If you lack the trust of your best player then it’s unlikely you will last long, especially when said player is named LeBron.
The latest drama in the David Blatt saga is that incredible amount of heat he is receiving for assistant Tyrone Lue calling a timeout, and Blatt just standing there with a blank, emotionless stare. With hopes of team bonding, Blatt decided to take the Cavaliers bowling instead of practice on Friday before their game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Despite a 109-102 win over the hapless Los Angeles Lakers—in which the team looked both disinterested at times—and in all honesty, Blatt is falling flat in Cleveland. Period.
What Blatt doesn’t realize is this team doesn’t need bonding, it needs good coaching, which is something he has simply failed to do.