Cavaliers fire David Blatt; Tyronn Lue named coach

Unlike his predecessors, Lue is already on solid footing with James, who respects the 38-year-old former point guard.

“(Blatt) was working to mold a group of individuals that are very willful”, Griffin said.

“Over the course of my business career I have learned that sometimes the hardest thing to do is also the right thing to do”, Gilbert said.

David Liam Kyle/NBAE/Getty Images Time is not on the side of LeBron James, who has four more years or so of MVP-caliber basketball left in him.

Those of you up in arms about the Cavaliers firing coach David Blatt, stop it.

If Lue cannot find a way to work Love into his system before the trade deadline, I would not put it past Griffin to decide to make a move to bring in someone that could be a better fit for the system Lue wants to run. He had been selected as coach of the team in June 2014 just weeks before James announced he was leaving the Miami Heat to rejoin the Cavaliers. In a written statement, Blatt thanked the team and said he was proud of what they had accomplished.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal was still pending a physical.

Griffin confirmed that the decision was his alone. “So he’s a friend, I don’t know what’s going on but you always hate to see a fellow coach, whether it’s a professional coach or college coach, lose his job”.

“He had the most scrutinized job that you could possibly have”, Rivers said of Blatt.

Multiple reports have stated that Lue has the trust of the Cavs players, especially James. For the Cavs to entrust a man who’d never even been an assistant coach in the National Basketball Association, much less a pro coach ever anywhere in North America, with their quest for the Lawrence O’Brien was… well… very Cleveland-like.

“I think we have a group that understands what’s at stake”, Griffin said. “All the guys went to him for everything anyway”. When we’re really galvanized is when we’re told we can’t win and we do. It’s happened to me. “It’s a tough one”.

David Blatt was removed as the head coach of the Cavaliers on Friday. Blatt was bothered by criticism his team led by LeBron James received after a 34-point loss to the defending champion Golden State Warriors earlier this week. I’ve done this for a long time and I know what it’s supposed to feel like. I don’t think there was a final straw. His team got all the way to the Finals-a team that had to change the way they played to get there.

It’s a stunning development on the surface for a team in first place and challenging for a championship, but Blatt struggled connecting with his players since arriving in Cleveland last season.

He did express sympathy for Blatt, cut loose despite leading the Cavs to a 30-11 record. “He was a first round draft pick and humble enough to learn from some of the best coaches”.

Kerr returned from back surgery, but is ineligible to coach in the All-Star Game after doing so a year ago. “I’m judging a lot more than wins and losses”.

FILE – In this November 2, 2015, file photo, Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt pats LeBron James on the chest at the end of an NBA basketball game against the Philadelphia 76ers in Philadelphia.

So what advice will Rivers give his protégé? Turns out he wasn’t the right coach for that team.