[BREAKING]: Cavs Fire David Blatt; Sign Ty Lue to Multi-Year Deal As New Head Coach [UPDATED With David Blatt Statement]
2016-01-22
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, the Cleveland Cavaliers have fired Head Coach David Blatt.
Cleveland has fired coach David Blatt, sources tell Yahoo.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 22, 2016
Also being reported is that Ty Lue has signed a multi-year deal to become the new Head Coach of the team.
Ty Lue has agreed to a three-year contract with Cavs, league source tells Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 22, 2016
Blatt, who was 83-40 during his year and a half as the Coach of the Cavs, released this statement on the heels of his dismissal:
“I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to serve as the Head Coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers,” Blatt wrote in a statement released by Priority Sports and Entertainment on Friday. “I’d like to thank Dan Gilbert and David Griffin for giving me this opportunity and am honored to have worked with an amazing group of players from LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love through our entire roster.
“I’d also like to express my extreme gratitude to my coaching staff. I am indebted to them for their professionalism hard work, loyalty and friendship. I am proud of what we have accomplished since I have been the Head Coach and wish the Cavaliers nothing but the best this season and beyond.”
LeBron was reportedly not consulted on the decision according to sources quoted by Brian Windhorst.
LeBron James was informed of the decision to fire David Blatt today, he was not consulted on decision sources said
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) January 22, 2016
Check back for updates as we get them…
Here’s Tom Pestak discussing the Blatt firing on ESPN Radio.
https://soundcloud.com/dayton-radio/breaking-cavs-fire-blatt-tom-pestak-reacts-on-dss
Windy said that LeBron was pulling reporters earlier in the week, telling them not to write anything about him not supporting Blatt. Interesting…
He’ll be a successful politician one day.
Is it me or does Windy sure have a lot of great inside information that he saves for after somebody else already breaks the big news?
A few thoughts: My wife had to tell me from her facebook feed because i was preparing dinner. i chose not to pay attention to any feed except this one. Remember the few trolls who would post the blatt hate every time something happened that resembled a broken play? Yeah, i dont miss those but those people must feel validation right now. I am glad he is getting paid and hope he waits for his next chance rather than take first available. JR Smith might never be the same. blatt really changed smith and his game for the better in… Read more »
Really good point about JR, chemist!
Crazy that Blatt can reach a guy like JR, but no one else…?
According to Windhorst, the players boycotted the Portland game after the loss on X-Mas, because some of the players like Mo Williams and RJ didn’t play, and that wasn’t communicated to them. I really think it’s time to trade or cut Mo Williams. Seems like a pouting cancer.
Which makes bringing a Morris on such a good idea.
No idea if that’s true, but if it is, how amazingly professional…if I were Gilbert and I heard that, I’d be thinking, “Why, exactly, am I shelling out big money for this?”
where is this audio at?
He was on the Bomani Jones ESPN show when he said it. Don’t know if they have podcasts of that or not.
http://espn.go.com/espnradio/playPopup?id=14628263
That would be a problem, although who knows if Windhorst has a clue.
If it is true, I would cut Mo faster than you can say Smoking Joe Harris.
Agreed. And I would have stood behind Blatt 100%. Christmas present are for children. Adults who have jobs do what they are paid to do.
So whose going to coach the Cavs next season?
Mike Brown’s available… third time’s a charm?
Let’s hope so!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry… should have tagged that with a billboard size /S
They’ll probably stick with Lebron
A few thoughts:
You weren’t kidding Chemist! HAHAHAHA! Just messing with ya!
sorry it was below. the message said i had too short a post and it was deleted. then it let me post.
Just messin with ya, chemist!
yeah i figured that. i still am trying to get a grips on the non-verbal expression side of the internet. your pic of blatt with the wide eyes is me when i have my moments
Windhorst said that the players didn’t like Blatt from day 1.
I’m sure Mike Miller liked him.
Check out this idiot:
http://nesn.com/2016/01/cavs-cant-win-title-with-lebron-james-should-trade-him-columnist-says/
I didn’t even read it, the guy is a moron.
Skip Bayless is shaking his head and saying “man, that is a shameless hot take.”
As much as I like Blatt, I like the move. Now, the players have no excuse for their performance… kinda like football when a coach is fired, every one is playing for their job now (granted there are no guaranteed contracts in football so it makes it easier). Biggest problem with the move to me is that the offense has been the pervasive problem with this team, not the defense. How is Ty Lue, a defensive coach, going to maximize their play on the offensive end? Who on the staff will be charged with offensive strategy? Just watched the Griffin… Read more »
Yeah I don’t get the Ty Lue offensive strategy other than the LueBron strategy.
Saw a post on another forum which claimed Ty Lue was secretly running Doc Rivers’ sets… if that’s the case, I’d want no part of that HAHAHA!
Maybe they can trade Love for Austin Rivers.
Can’t see Doc doing that ;)
Okay LeBron for Austin…. You drive a hard bargain Doc!
Doc says he’ll need to sleep on it and get back with you in the morning… ;)
He will enact the Lue-ISO strategy.
I don’t think what they do on offense will change in the least bit.
I’m not so sure… if what is being said is true, and Ty Lue has the courage to call out LBJ for mistakes… I could see the offense come more consistent/improve.
Bigger worry is all these rumors of a KLOVE trade… He is/ought to be the focal point of the offense. Get rid of him, that’s one less shooter/post player/playmaker.
Yeah, but when you can trade him for Markief Morris and some throw in flotsam, you gotta do it.
HAHAHA… I know right?! That hope needs to die for real…
If Minny gets Ben Simmons and hires Blatt I’m get league pass next year.
I was shocked just because the timing is so random. Why not fire him after the GSW debacle? Or the next bad loss, which presumably will happen at some point? Lue isn’t going anywhere, he’s already on your bench. At the same time though, I agree with those here who think that if you set aside the timing, the move itself is not crazy. The worst thing you can do is do what OKC did with Scott Brooks and keep a coach who clearly is not a championship caliber coach for 5 years because the talent on the roster is… Read more »
Great post, Mac. After the shock has subsided, this is really the only pragmatic view we can take going forward…
There will undoubtedly be much wringing of hands over this firing, the state of the organization and the voices decrying that ownership and management are kowtowing to LBJ will never be louder…
But, it will all fade away if this team focuses in on maximizing their talent and can find a way to get the ring…
Agree. Very well said.
Thanks, I meant something like “but it’s like a company was Yahoo! in 2014 and looking for CEOs and getting the caliber of candidates for that role, and then after hiring a CEO from that pool, exploded into Apple just before the CEO started work” or something like that, but you get what I mean. If the company had turned into Apple on his watch, that would be different from the Blatt situation.
Agree with all of that. And during the season there’s no great time – I happen to think straight after the significant mid-season test (Spurs, GSW) is about as good a time as any to act.
And while I’m as shocked as everyone else, I can’t help but think of what I saw late in the GSW game….LeBron sitting on the sidelines talking animatedly with Lu, shaking his head, for several minutes….Lu starting straight ahead, nodding and saying yep, yep…..would give a lot to know what they were talking about.
Yeah, seeing that conversation on the sidelines made me uncomfortable.
Still can’t get over the fact that #Cavs players thought the team meeting was about Kevin Love being traded per @WindhorstESPN. Very telling — Keith Britton
I’m waiting for that other shoe to drop – Love and Delly traded for some scrubs.
Cols will throw a parade is Delly were to get traded.
Sadly if there are trades I think they will be HR swings(bad contracts, expirings, etc) just so the Cavs can get back to a Finals they were already going to. I got over Blatt pretty quickly because come on, they are going to the ECF with this group. But trades will start messing with the core chemistry worse than a coaching change.
There is no trade they can make that will beat a healthy Warriors team in the finals this year. The best hope all along was to hope the Warriors don’t get there.
Shaq and Antawn Jamison are available.
According to Blatt’s Euro contacts, Blatt was saying it might be “Him or Love” … I get the feeling that there might of been a bigger beef between Love and Blatt than Blatt and LeBron.
I have no doubt that you’re correct.
I understand all of the shock and dismay about all of this… but the simple fact remains that all we can really do is root for Lue to succeed in reaching this team and maximizing the talent that is here to continue the goal of winning a championship…
I feel bad for Blatt, mainly because what he got was not what he signed up for… In an alternate universe, he could probably have done a terrific job with a young team of rising stars with much lower expectations…
The Spurs can will be the first test. If they get roflstomped, Lue should get every degree of heat that Blatt got for that Warriors fiasco.
Historically, teams do very well the first game after the coach/manager is fired.
Anyway, the first game being the Spurs, you have to give a Mulligan. If they go 7-3 in the next ten, it will look like a good move.
They play the Bulls tomorrow night…
Thanks, I was in a time warp! I expect to thump them
Fair or not, Lue does seem to be a bit undermining. I don’t think this is necessarily true. But there will be more pressure on Lue and LeBron going forward. Blaming the coach will really turn into blaming the players i.e. LeBron.
Its hard to root for a team with no heart. If I saw these guys running Blatt’s plays and not calling their own iso number, if I saw the committment to defense they finally started to display in the finals last year, if I saw them constantly working to be a better team, and not just after being humiliated by the Warriors…if it really appeared to be a coaching problem, I’d be on board, I suppose. But Blatt was, by all accounts, a smart coach with a long track record of success. If the “vets” on the team think he… Read more »
So that’s it for you? ;)
About 90% of all teams have the same problem.
There is a VERY old saying: “You can’t fire the team”.
Some of what I’m reading here is nuts. Have you ever worked for someone who had a good reputation but just kinda, well, sucked? I have. It, well, sucks. Lloyd and Skolnick are both saying that there was roster-wide discontent/disconnectedness with Blatt. The players didn’t like the guy. Griffin kept mentioning the mood in the locker room being suboptimal, even after wins. They needed a change. They’re going to win it all this year!
Some of the statements in this Griffin conference have been incredibly disconcerting. They honestly make you question the very fabric of the character of the players on this team. Really astonishing that the problems are this deep.
Unfortunately being in Greece I cant listen. Could you elaborate?
I think my biggest take away is that it’s not so much that they fired Blatt, but it sees like there are deeper concerns. And with a franchise that has struggled with culture and has known to be pretty dysfunctional in the past, it makes me concerned that we do not have the right group of guys together.
If that is the case, it means Lebron really has learned nothing.
http://espn.go.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/14569435/cleveland-cavaliers-top-trade-targets-assets-nba
I dont have insider :(
Still the same guys… Trevor Ariza, Jared Dudley and PJ Tucker…
No we dont and this wasnt supposed to be the group of guys going forward. Last years surprising success after the bowling thing made this the teams core by default, despite several glaring weaknesses on the roster (too many injuries, lack of passing, too many one way players and such)
And yes, staying away of injuries is an ability,
What a mess. What a complete and utter mess. What a complete, utter, and hella’ expensive mess.
Ready to cheer for Duncan riding into the sunset with his 6th NBA championship, having whooped on Lebron one last time.
I’m sure LeBron had absolutely nothing to do with it.
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/cavs-fire-coach-david-blatt/
Let’s be honest, whether LeBron had any direct role in the decision to fire Blatt on this specific day, the notion that he wasn’t consulted in any major Cavs decision is ridiculous. If he wasn’t consulted on this specific decision to fire Blatt today, that is only because it has been known that he is fine with Blatt being replaced with Lue at any time.
This whole thing speaks of the quality of the organisation as a whole. The veterans not thinking he could lead them to a championship? The players thinking they were too good for their coach (who has won like 25 more trophies in his career than all of them combined)? “Tolerating” him after wins?
Tell me if these sort of things happen in a championship organisation.
You are correct. All these veterans were supposed to have championship caliber team first attitudes. Undermining your coach is not a championship attitude.
Either David Blatt was never a good coach and hoodwinked the Cavs with his Euro Success, or the Cavs do not have control over their organization. Either way, I believe we are less likely to win the title today than we were yesterday.
Well, I don’t think they’ve gone full Bronx Zoo-level Steinbrenner-Martin-Reggie Jackson dysfunction.
If you have the wrong coach, you gotta do something. All this psychobabble about “championship organization”, etc., is wacky.
I think there are 100 coaches that could have led the Cavs to 30-11, including Lue. Maybe Lue will do a lot better.
We will soon see.
Three of the four coaches the Warriors beat in the playoffs last season have been fired. cbsprt.co/1ZSN00A
Dubs are coach killers!
Who thinks players are next to get traded?
Who? We are 30-11 for God sakes. If Griffin starts trading players, I will lose all faith in him. I thought we made strong additions in the off season. Let’s see how playing time is adjusted before we start talking trades, DG. Please!
Screamin’ A does…
If they trade guys to bring in washed up scrub vets, I’m checking out for the season. “IF”, I say.
Not me. Firing the coach while leading the conference is one thing, blowing up the team is another.
I think Lue will be better than 30-11 in the second half. Is the second half schedule easier?
Heard Blatt & Twolves buzz. Strong Euro core, he drafted Andrew Wiggins No. 1 overall. — David Pick
So much negativity around the team. I cant draw any kind of picture in my mind where we win the championship.
I still don’t understand why they hated Blatt so much. Was it as simple as them thinking that he was overmatched? I don’t see it….
Because he stood up for them in the Press? Because he let them have their own ideas and agreed to them when they worked?
He wasn’t ‘an NBA guy’…gotta be an NBA guy, y’know. Like Byron Scott or Ty Corbin or Kurt Rambis.
I think I will be surprised if Love is still with the Cavs in two weeks.
And who could we possibly get that would be worth trading him for?
Probably nobody. Nevertheless, I think I will be surprised.
Honest question: Is Love an issue? Aside from a certain shooting streakiness, he seems very unselfish and buys in to whatever the team tries to do. Granted I’m not in the locker room, but why would we discuss Love in trades? Moz I can understand to a degree, but Love has way too much of an upside. What am I missing?
I think trading Love is a terrible idea. You have to play with the roster you have now. Nothing you’re going to get in a trade will put you over the top. Take our shot with what we have, and if changes need to be made you do it in the summer.
Griff just asked if LBJ is a “coach killer”
The only time he didn’t get his coach fired was when Pat Riley was calling the shots. Miami has to be laughing their asses off at this.
But in his defense, look at his coaches. None were Pat Riley, or Pop, or Phil. Hell, they didn’t even have as much stature as Jeff Van Gundy. He really needs a coach with credentials – most superstars need that.
He needs to realize that he isn’t a good coach himself, and let the guy hired to coach him do his job. Erik Spolestra isn’t much different from Blatt. Or Kerr. I mean, is Tyrone Lue that much better? Is he Popovich? If LBJ doesn’t respect his coaches, LBJ is the problem, not his coach. Otherwise, why even have a coach? LBJ sucks as a GM and as a coach. Maybe when he retires he can try them, but whenever an organization gives in to his demands, the organization fails. The only time he wasn’t treated like a God was… Read more »
And he also needs to realize that if he doesn’t respect the coach, it poisons the whole team. None of the other players will respect the coach either (or run the offense).
So if this is accurate…
Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojVerticalNBA 2h2 hours ago
Since last season, LeBron James and his agent Rich Paul have been strong advocates of Lue becoming head coach, league sources tell Yahoo.
…did LeBron win a power struggle so he can freelance more, or keep freelancing as much as he has? If so, the Cavs have no chance.
So we’ve got that going for us.
This, to me, says that Griff thinks he knows more than every winning team in major pro sports history.
I think I am the biggest Blatt supporter on this blog, but I cant say I disagree with the decision. He never had a chance. Maybe if he won the title last year and then again I am not pretty sure. Very sad to see him go of course, but if he didnt get across with the team its for everyones best interest. It is just a little unfair, especially since Lue will replace him. I mean if he had more power than we realised with Blatt, as someone stated above, why didnt he hold Lebron accountable then? Was he… Read more »
I hope I’m wrong, but I can’t help but feel like this is a big mistake. If it backfires….How can you justify keeping Lue and Griff if we don’t win the Finals now? Griff just doubled down on this year. He loses, and the whole thing likely blows up.
I am very bummed out right now. Why didnt they make that decision over the summer? Was he getting along with the players then? I hope Lue turns out to be our Steve Kerr, though I serioously doubt it.
Stephen A. spewing on ESPN now, but unfortunately I have it on mute…probably missing something really important…
Screamin’ A believes that more moves are coming… inferring either Moz or KLove or both…
Why tinker with success when you can blow it to smithereens?
Oh, that is good!
For Cols…
Riiiigght, Griff. The guy you said would be gone the day you were was just fired for not connecting to the “locker room.” Keep it coming.
If Lue can’t get Love to play with two ball hogs, then Love is next IMO.
Cleveland Indians – the most stable franchise in Cleveland since 1995.
So true. Why don’t Cleveland fans see this?
Dan Gilbert, a man of mystery.
I imagine him just sitting at a desk with a permanent look of resignation on his face, signing whatever checks someone puts in front of him.
I can’t believe Hue Jackson already has a longer tenure than the Cavs coach.
Man, he lands in that chair pretty hard.
David Griffin says the report of a contract extension for Lue is not accurate. However, he is the head coach. No interim title, per Griff — McMenamin
According to McMenamin, it’s not an extension….might be his current contract…
“David Griffin says the report of a contract extension for Lue is not accurate. However, he is the head coach. No interim title, per Griff”
Woj is usually right…
If they had beaten the Warriors Monday, no way this happens. So Nate had it — that game got Blatt fired.
Blatt is NOT going to coach in Europe this season. He shut that down. — David Pick
Somebody ask Griff if he’s got anyone on the block!
So if this lack of connectedness continues, I suppose this means players are getting traded next.
I thought his continuity comment made it seem like he wasn’t going to trade anyone…
I like Ty Lue better with the cornrows…
I hope Lue gets Love more involved.
The comment of Blatt to his folks in Israel seems to indicate Love was an issue, maybe not personally, but the way he was utilized.
I wish it was tomorrow night already. I want to see how we play under Lue…
This will probably all work out fine.
But if I’m GSW, I’d hire Blatt just to troll the Cavs.
Wouldn’t be surprised if they do after Walton leaves this summer.
“Role delineation and team sacrifice with team buy in.” – Griffin
Major shot at Blatt
Only coach that can fix this mess is Popovich… Well maybe not with LeBron on the roster.
I’m hearing a surprisingly candid set of comments from Griffin. The part about “not enjoying prosperity” (i.e. they were miserable even after wins) was really interesting. I hated this decision, but this make it a little more sense to me now.
Griffin not on his game in the new conference. Looks very uncomfortable. Pausing to study his notes.
Early in the process, obviously, but NBA coaching sources insist to me David Blatt is intent on coaching in this league again – Stein
He’ll get his chance…hope he ends up in a good situation.
Press conference is live now from Cavs.com with David Griffith
HERE WE GO!
So how does a defensive coach in Ty Lue going to lift this team offensively?
I doubt their offense changes one iota from what we’ve seen.
That’s my primary concern. Who’s the new assistant coach? lol
The Ukraine Train?
Rich Paul?
I’m amused at the stand-in double they have for David Griffin right now at the press conference
Who the hell is that kid… LOL!
Long time reader. First time contributor. Brendan Haywood just gave a HELL of an interview on SC. Basically said Lue has been essentially “in charge” of more than we realize for awhile…
Screamin’ A on ESPN2 right now…
Bet he looks very serious and intense…
If you guys do a podcast on this, I need to be on it.
I don’t know if that’s advisable.
That might not be the best idea for your first verbal interaction with Nate… ;)
“Blatt was intimidated to question Lebron in film sessions, while Lue would challenge Lebron on assignments. Players respected Lue more than Blatt.” -Brendan Haywood interview on ESPN 2min ago
I mean, its not like Lue wasn’t on the team. Now he’s ‘officially’ the head coach and the players will play better? They could have just listened to him and played better to begin with and let Blatt be the PR guy and Lue be the wizard behind the curtain
If Lue can get –
a. Kyrie and LeBron to not go ISO all the time
b. Love to sack up and play like he had in Minny
c Get Mo to play defense
d. Get the team to run some actual offensive plays
e. Get Kyrie to play defense
f. Hold the entire team accountable including LeBron
g. Get Love to play defense
Then I will support him. Otherwise I will CRUSH him!
Why? Why do you hate Lue and love Blatt?
I don’t hate Lue. He just comes off as kind of undermining. And I think it’s a bad idea to fire coaches midseason. So they better hope this works. Dan Gilbert isn’t known to make rational decisions. Let’s follow the Browns model. Lol.
c. is hopeless, but I’m on board with the rest…
Then trade him or send him to the D League.
Trade him for who? You would be lucky to get Joe Harris. Or Manny Harris, for that matter.
Listening to Nate Duncan’s ’emergency pod’…speculating that the Cavs felt Blatt was unwilling to stand up to Lebron…I agree with that, but not sure what anyone expected. If Lue is willing to do that, guess we’ll see if that’s what Lebron wants….lmao…
No NBA coach has stood up to Bully LeBron. Hopefully LueBron will.
So if it was championship-or-bust mode for the Cavs before what do we call this now?
Just bust……………….
Actually, kind of happy for Blatt. He doesn’t have to deal with all this nonsense, drama, childish circus bull shit of the Cavaliers anymore. And he won’t have to be on the sidelines when they get heir asses handed to them this June.
And – he still gets PAID! It is a win for him
Maybe Blatt will be on the sidelines for the Finals. Now Kerr can give him the assistant gig he offered him in 2014.
Not sure it had so much to do with the actual W-L record or games themselves as it did with the locker room culture… Fair or not the players never respected Blatt… Lloyd speculated it’s probably a move they shoulda made in the offseason if management had had an inkling since last season… I’m kind of disappointed the players never really gave Blatt a chance, and let’s be honest, a lot of that stems from LeBron, who really treated him like garbage sometimes. But if it wasn’t working it wasn’t working. It’s just too bad it happened at such an… Read more »
I’m most shocked at Griffin, I have to say. He really looks like a hypocrite now, especially after the way he defended him last year. Its going to make the entire staff and roster uncomfortable now about their jobs. This better work, or it is going to result in Griffin’s job, as it should. This could blow up spectacularly.
I guess we’ll find out in two minutes with the press conference…
PTI guys are debating the Blatt firing now…
Cover your ears, hide the children!
This is horrible. I loved Blatt. Great coach, great personality, one of the nicest guys in the NBA.
What a childish, petty team. But it’s a childish petty league.
I feel like just rooting for the Spurs now.
Yeah, it sure leaves a pretty bad taste in your mouth, doesn’t it.
I don’t know why the players wouldn’t like him, either. All he did was defend them constantly in the media when the media was (rightfully) criticizing them. He stood up for J.R., Love, Lebron, Tristan, Delly, Kyrie, Moz,…Man, I don’t get this.
If he’s underachieving, you meet with him and figure it out and try to fix it. But a guy doesn’t just suddenly forget how to coach. I wonder if he wishes he had taken the Warriors assistant job.
Man, this just stinks all around. This means that Lue was negotiating a contract to become the coach while Blatt was still head coach. Don’t get this at all. Seems like an inexperienced GM jumped the gun. I don’t see how you make this move with the record they have, the improvements they’ve made, the absolute circus Blatt has had to deal with, and seeing what he accomplished last year. He stood up for his players, never used the media to criticize them, and is a accomplilshed basketball mind. He wasn’t perfect, but I don’t see how Lue, a rookie… Read more »
Not a great look for Lue, but you could see this coming way back when he was named ‘co head coach’ or whatever, and was given the huge salary.
If they were going to do it… they should have done it either last year at this time or over the summer…
Exactly. We limped to the finals and he almost pulled it off. He can’t be that bad. I mean, if Lue doesn’t win the title this year, how do you justify keeping him?
Quoted in the Lloyd interview on The Fan…
God, that would be an awful gig. They are going nowhere for 10 years.
“This was not a Lebron issue, this was 15 guys and Blatt.” per Jason Lloyd…Really curious about what has been happening behind the scenes
CAN YOU POST THIS EG? So the BLAME LEBRON crowd will stop.
The fun thing is that maybe Love will get used more. Blatt never knew what to do with him.
YES…STOP SAYING MEAN THINGS ABOUT LEBRON!!
That might have been from his interview on The Fan… This is the only Tweet I saw that speaks to that…
Here is some inside info:
http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2016/01/former_cleveland_cavaliers_cen_2.html#incart_more_sports
This seems to be the real issue. I hope Lue sees how it went down, and avoid this happening again. If I was him, I would start today with a long one on one with LeBron.