The Cleveland Cavaliers’ season, which had begun with so much hope and promise, has turned into an inextinguishable house fire.
They’ve lost 9 of their last ten games, and sit one game below .500 at 19-20.
And despite public assurances from the front-office, questions continue to be raised about first-year head coach David Blatt’s job security.
Rumors of a growing disconnect between not only Blatt and his star-studded team, but also his own coaching staff, have plagued the franchise all season long.
Reportedly, influential — and highly-paid — lead assistant coach Tyronn Lue has been calling timeouts without Blatt’s approval (and seems to have the players’ ear much moreso than his superior.)
Per ESPN:
It isn’t just the casinos that are agape at how this is playing out — the Cavs were 4-15 in their past 19 games against the spread coming in to Tuesday — so are league scouts, executives and rival players.
They see players appearing to run different plays than the bench calls, see assistant coach Tyronn Lue calling timeouts literally behind Blatt’s back during games, and hear Cavs players openly talking about coaching issues with opposing players and personnel. Not once, not twice, but frequently over the past several months.
For weeks now, the small talk when league personnel run into each other at college games, airports or pregame meals has frequently started with: “What the hell is going on in Cleveland?”
