David Blatt to the Warriors?
The Cleveland Cavaliers have fired head coach David Blatt despite following up a run to the Finals with leading the Eastern Conference. Are the Golden State Warriors in his future?
David Blatt has been fired by
the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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In his first season as the Cavs’ coach, Blatt led his team to the NBA Finals where they managed to win two games, but ultimately fell to a superior Golden State Warriors team. Following their runner-up finish, Blatt had the Cavs standing alone atop a much-improved Eastern Conference.
At 30-11, Cleveland has the third best record in the NBA, behind the Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs. On the strength of James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love the Cavs have almost a free run to the Finals. Even as the East has proven to be better than it has in past years, the Cavaliers are still the best team in that conference.
But James and owner Dan Gilbert aren’t playing for Eastern Conference championships. They’ve already had those. They want to win now as evidenced by trading Andrew Wiggins for Love. James, 31, isn’t getting any younger. It’s title or bust. For the Cavaliers. For the championship-starved city of Cleveland. For James’ legacy.
The problem is the Cleveland Cavaliers, as presently constructed, can very well run away with the Eastern Conference, but they are no where near the level of the Warriors or the San Antonio Spurs.
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Blatt lost control of the Cavaliers a long time ago, some say even as early as their second regular season game. It was clear that he and James clashed and history has shown that when it’s James versus a coach, the King always wins. As great as he is on the court, James is a control freak, playing the role of athlete, coach, general manager, and owner. Coaching LeBron James is a challenge. Although he automatically makes any team a contender, there’s going to be a power struggle. His greatness and need to be greater does not play nice with coaches he deems incompetent. And Blatt could not overcome it.
So now what? Blatt is one of the most successful coaches to lead European teams, winning 11 championships in the Israeli League. Clearly, he can coach. Where will he land next?
Surely, there are going to be some openings around the league pretty soon. The Lakers, Timberwolves, Suns, and Nets will most likely be looking for new coaches. But what if Blatt’s next job isn’t as a head coach, but as an assistant? For the team that sealed his fate in Cleveland–the Golden State Warriors?
Sounds crazy, right? Maybe not. ESPN’s Marc Stein reported that after Blatt announced he would be joining the NBA, the two frontrunners for his services were the Cavaliers and the Warriors. Steve Kerr wanted Blatt as an offensive-minded assistant. Of course, Alvin Gentry became available to the Warriors and the head coach spot became available to Blatt. And then the two sides would rival each other, two rookie coaches seeking basketball immortality in their first season.
There’s an alternate universe where David Blatt accepts Kerr’s offer to be a Warriors assistant in ’14 & coaches them while Kerr is out...
— J.A. Adande (@jadande) January 22, 2016
Kerr is returning to his head coach spot, one that Luke Walton held for 43 games this season. As the interim head coach, Walton led the Warriors to a record-breaking start. The 39-4 record says a lot about the job Walton did. Admittedly, the Warriors are already a talented team with a championship under his belt, but to only have four losses at this juncture is a testament to Walton’s effort.
A job-well-done that might get him some consideration for a head coaching job next year, perhaps even with the Los Angeles Lakers, a team that he has a clear connection to. Draymond Green surely thinks he’ll get some offers.
Steve Kerr and the Warriors will need to replace Walton if he leaves. Why not Blatt? Kerr was interested in him once before. Blatt’s had success coaching basketball, perhaps he can again without the pressure and drama that comes with coaching the likes of James, Love, and JR Smith for a less-than-optimal organization. He’d be joining an extremely stable situation with intelligent, selfless players like Green, Stephen Curry, and Andre Iguodala.
Walton may not leave. Even if he does, the Warriors may not look at Blatt who could be the head coach somewhere.
But it’s also possible. It almost happened once before.