Just thirty games into the grand experiment in Cleveland, and there are already whispers about Cavaliers head coach David Blatt potentially squirming on an increasingly hot seat.
The Cavs (18-12) were blown out at home Sunday night by the Detroit Pistons, and questions are being raised about Blatt’s ability to guide his star-studded team.
(LeBron James tellingly went off script recently, taking on more point guard duties without consulting with the coaching staff, and helped spark an eight-game winning streak.
“No, I can do it on my own,” James said of his role change. “I’m passed those days where I have to ask.”)
Per ESPN:
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 said that there is rising concern in team circles about the level of response 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.
Blatt was indeed asked Sunday at his postgame news conference if he is worried himself that he might be losing control of the team. He responded: “I’m not concerned about that at all. I’m more concerned with how we’re playing.”
“You know, we’re going through a few things right now,” Blatt said Sunday night. “We’ve lost some pretty important players. … At that point that you have to be more competitive, and more determined, and fight your way through that or else this happens. It’s not an excuse, it’s just an explanation for your question. That’s the reality of it. We didn’t fight enough to battle the difficulties that we’ve had.”
