dark2332
Yeah, I’m thinking I’m back.
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2012
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I agree.I'd go as far as to say that Blatt was complete bust and an NBA coach. I'd be surprised to see him ever come back.
NBA coaches are paid to get up on a podium several times a week and not embarrass themselves or their team. Blatt was temperamentally unfit to deal with the US press and made enemies for no reason and said head scratching things on a regular basis. NBA coaches need to be able to control a bunch of spoiled, entitled 20 year old millionaires. Blatt's relationship with his stars was so poor that at times that their behavior bordered on out-right mutiny.
But what about the basketball? Maybe he was some sort of basketball savant in Europe, but his basketball coaching in Cleveland looked severely flawed. He couldn't get in bounds plays to work. The offense frequently looked constipated. The team frequently seemed to under perform. The team lost a game on purpose because they were so unhappy with him. For God's sake, Blatt tried to call a timeout that he didn't have when a playoff game was on the line. That's just undeniable coaching incompetence. That just doesn't happen on the NBA level. Anyone who does that is not fit to be an NBA coach.
Some may feel Blatt got an "incomplete" grade in the NBA because of playoff injuries in 2015 and because he got fired before he could take the team back. Whatever. It's a cute little rhetorical place to live. It's a safe, dark little cave where people have a hard time beating on your emotional opinions with cold hard logic. Have fun there, but it doesn't make Blatt look like an NBA success.
Lue has been great. He plays the press like a harp. Seems like the players would take a bullet for the guy. The team is playing like everyone thought it should when three legit max players where brought together. He won a stinkin' ring. He stopped Blatt from calling that timeout back in 2015. What more does the guy have to do to be a better NBA coach than Blatt?
The problem is, people like to compare the records. On paper, nothing discernible. But, people fail to realize that LeBron won 60 games with Mike Brown. Literally, anyone we put coaching this team could win 55+ games in the regular season. Anyone. I could, you could. It's because the team is that good and LeBron controls enough of the on-court play.
The value of Lue is as you mentioned, the players listen to him and would run through a wall for him. Therefore, in those clutch situations where someone needs to be told something tough to hear, he does it and they respond well. He's a very smart basketball mind, but he also has that way with people. So, win-loss, you don't see the difference overall in the regular season. However, in tough games against good teams--especially in the playoffs--it's night and day. He's able to get players to buy-in to the adjustments that must be made and they truly believe that they are the keys to turning the game around. Lue is trusted; Blatt was not.
It's like a boss. I wouldn't respect a boss who I think I could do a much better job than. Just like the team with Blatt. Lue, on the other hand, has their respect.