On Thursday night, TNT aired a video clip of David West talking about playing with Tim Duncan and the Spurs. West expressed his amazement with how Duncan, an accomplished basketball legend, remains open to constructive criticism from Gregg Popovich and allows himself to be coached.
On Friday afternoon, news reports confirmed that David Blatt had been fired as head coach of the Cavs, with Tyronn Lue being promoted on a permanent basis. Rumors have been swirling that Coach Blatt had butted heads with stars LeBron James and Kevin Love and did not have the buy-in of the players. During an impromptu press conference, David Griffin confirmed that there was a sentiment of disconnect in the locker room.
The media airwaves and social media were blowing up with discussions about whether or not LeBron and the rest of the team are coachable. Some people went as far as saying that the team tanked the game versus Golden State on Monday. Griffin advised that the blowout loss to the Warriors was not a 'breaking point' or a metaphorical 'last straw'. Furthermore, neither LeBron nor any other players were involved with the final decision of firing Blatt.
Based on Griffin's comments, he believes that the team is coachable. However, through daily observations of the team, he had noticed that the locker room lacked a cohesive aura. As he said, "This team is not galvanized after wins." He added, "I know what something that's not right looks like". Griffin knew he had to make the change.
Enter Tyronn Lue. In June 2014, while Blatt was hired as head coach, Lue had been hired as the associate head coach. The Cavs made Lue the highest paid assistant coach in the NBA. Back then, Cavs management believed that Lue was one of the key people for developing the team (which had not yet signed LeBron or traded for Love) into a championship contender. Much has been said about the players already turning to Lue for help during practices and games. At this point, it is clear that Griffin sees Lue as the right facilitator and teacher for this team.
In major league professional sports, great players are linked to great coaches. Dynasties require a strong head coach and superstar players. Look at the Spurs. Gregg Popovich fired Bob Hill midseason, took his place on the bench, and lost a lot of games while resting David Robinson. The team went into 'tank mode' to try and win the Draft Lottery while also beginning to instill Popovich's principles more directly during practices and games. Add Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili--all coachable players--and a dynasty was built.
The Warriors are not too much different. Personnel changes led to the evolution of the roster, with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green all proving to be coachable players. With Curry, he first played under Don Nelson, then Keith Smart. Add in Thompson, with Mark Jackson taking over as coach. When Jackson reached the end of the line, Steve Kerr was brought in and Green became a new key component.
The Warriors and the Spurs are the best teams in the NBA right now. The Spurs have won 5 championships; the Warriors have won the last championship. Both appear ready to win another one this year. Are Lue, Lebron, Love, and Kyrie Irving ready to build their legacy? Will this Cavaliers team become a dynasty? Saturday night versus the Bulls will be the first of many tests on the road to their first championship together.
On Friday afternoon, news reports confirmed that David Blatt had been fired as head coach of the Cavs, with Tyronn Lue being promoted on a permanent basis. Rumors have been swirling that Coach Blatt had butted heads with stars LeBron James and Kevin Love and did not have the buy-in of the players. During an impromptu press conference, David Griffin confirmed that there was a sentiment of disconnect in the locker room.
The media airwaves and social media were blowing up with discussions about whether or not LeBron and the rest of the team are coachable. Some people went as far as saying that the team tanked the game versus Golden State on Monday. Griffin advised that the blowout loss to the Warriors was not a 'breaking point' or a metaphorical 'last straw'. Furthermore, neither LeBron nor any other players were involved with the final decision of firing Blatt.
Based on Griffin's comments, he believes that the team is coachable. However, through daily observations of the team, he had noticed that the locker room lacked a cohesive aura. As he said, "This team is not galvanized after wins." He added, "I know what something that's not right looks like". Griffin knew he had to make the change.
Enter Tyronn Lue. In June 2014, while Blatt was hired as head coach, Lue had been hired as the associate head coach. The Cavs made Lue the highest paid assistant coach in the NBA. Back then, Cavs management believed that Lue was one of the key people for developing the team (which had not yet signed LeBron or traded for Love) into a championship contender. Much has been said about the players already turning to Lue for help during practices and games. At this point, it is clear that Griffin sees Lue as the right facilitator and teacher for this team.
In major league professional sports, great players are linked to great coaches. Dynasties require a strong head coach and superstar players. Look at the Spurs. Gregg Popovich fired Bob Hill midseason, took his place on the bench, and lost a lot of games while resting David Robinson. The team went into 'tank mode' to try and win the Draft Lottery while also beginning to instill Popovich's principles more directly during practices and games. Add Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili--all coachable players--and a dynasty was built.
The Warriors are not too much different. Personnel changes led to the evolution of the roster, with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green all proving to be coachable players. With Curry, he first played under Don Nelson, then Keith Smart. Add in Thompson, with Mark Jackson taking over as coach. When Jackson reached the end of the line, Steve Kerr was brought in and Green became a new key component.
The Warriors and the Spurs are the best teams in the NBA right now. The Spurs have won 5 championships; the Warriors have won the last championship. Both appear ready to win another one this year. Are Lue, Lebron, Love, and Kyrie Irving ready to build their legacy? Will this Cavaliers team become a dynasty? Saturday night versus the Bulls will be the first of many tests on the road to their first championship together.