Can David Blatt Buy Enough Time to Get Cleveland Cavaliers to Buy In?: ATLANTA — It was the ideal start for David Blatt. The Cleveland Cavaliers—his Cavaliers, at least for now—had come out catalyzed rather than comatose, compensating for the absence of sore-kneed birthday boy LeBron James as well as achy-ankled veteran forward Shawn Marion. They were moving the ball, setting solid screens, knocking down shots, looking a lot like the home Hawks typically do, looking like we heard Blatts European teams had typically looked. And, after Mike Miller sent a perfect skip pass to plug-in starter Matthew Dellavedova, and Dellavedova splashed a three-pointer for a 12-5 lead, Blatt bounced out toward center court to make sure he slapped five hands for their work well done. The celebration would be short-lived, as underrated Atlanta, missing Al Horford due to nausea, rallied into the lead by quarters end and survived a scoring spree from Kyrie Irving (22 second-half points) to win, 109-101. Still, this was a rare night that Blatt couldnt really lose, so long as the available members of his squad showed some spunk, which they certainly did. I really thought we came out and we competed, Blatt said. I really saw a team that was together, despite missing 50 percent of the normal rotation. And I thought, against a very, very good team, by all accounts, we had our chances to win the game, which we missed. Certainly, a good effort, a team effort, a team that was together and fighting, and a team that had a chance to win. The Cavaliers werent actually without 50 percent of their normal rotation, even if you count the listless Kevin Love (1-of-8 shooting) leaving for good with back spasms in third quarter, unless you also include Anderson Varejao, who will be out for the season due to a torn Achilles and isnt part of the equation anymore. Blatt has shown a propensity, in his first NBA season, to cite adversity after losses, in the same sentence as he insists he isnt making excuses. After Tuesdays loss, he also gushed about how Irving, who coincidentally had publicly supported him Monday, played his heart out in scoring 35 points Tuesday, calling the fourth-year point guard a wonderful, wonderful young man that understands what this is about and is doing everything he can to impact in a positive way. Perhaps Blatt was selling all of this a bit hard. Still, he should be cut a break on this occasion, because it came during what even VH1 wouldnt have labeled his Best Week Ever. If Blatt didnt fully understand what it was like to serve as the coach of a team featuring professional sports most scrutinized superstar, he certainly does now, after two stories—one on ESPN and one on the Northeast Ohio Media Group site—that provided flashbacks to 2010, and James tumultuous first season in Miami. Brian Windhorst and Marc Steins ESPN article reported a disconnect between Blatt and the players, as well as rising concern in team circles about the level of response that Blatt is getting on the floor, something that was obvious merely by observation. The NEOMG article, written by Chris Haynes, was also primarily about Blatt. But it included a line near the end about how, in more general terms, and if his hand is forced, James won’t hesitate to make the appropriate business decision if it means bolting. For the purposes of this piece, lets deal largely with the first article, since its of more immediate import—after all, James Coming Home essay focused on the bigger than basketball reasons to rejoin the Cavaliers, and that essentially boxes him into a lasting career commitment to Cleveland, or at least one that lasts for a couple of seasons. (Since he has a one-year opt-out, his leverage can always be exercised as he negotiates the length of his next deal.) Blatt and his bosses are boxed in, too, though for different reasons. The Cavaliers owner, Dan Gilbert, has no shot to shed his reputation as impulsive and inconsistent if he replaces Blatt during the season, not after three coach firings, including Mike Brown twice, over the past four years. Blatt was Gilberts choice, even if that choice was made while the Cavaliers were seemingly still rebuilding and prior to the rosters superstar infusion. That choice, widely hailed as inspired at the time, hasnt worked especially well so far, not with the Cavaliers idling between the Easts elite and its stragglers, firmly in the fifth spot. But Blatt has hardly had it easy, and not just because everything about the NBA is an adjustment, especially the dynamic between coaches and stars, with European coaches swinging the hammers and American coaches perpetually trying not to get nailed. Blatt is essentially on his own. His family is overseas, as are his coaching confidants. He has no long-standing connections to anyone on his staff—just a short-term one with former Hawks and Bucks head coach Larry Drew—with his assistants consisting of holdovers (Jim Boylan), promotions (James Posey) or contenders for the position he ultimately got (Tyronn Lue). That last hire may have created perceived complications under any circumstances, but it looks especially short-sighted now that James return has intensified the spotlight. Even if everyone is trying to pull together—and, to be clear, theres no evidence that any of the assistants arent—that doesnt erase the medias assumption of split allegiances, especially when the searchs bridesmaid is now the leagues highest-paid assistant. So the coaching speculation isnt going away, not unless Blatt goes deep into the playoffs. It might not, even if he does, or even if James speaks out more strongly on his behalf than he did on Monday. It might not, in part because theres no Pat Riley figure in the Cavaliers organization who is capable of putting it to rest, either by making a public statement or, as Riley did during the rocky start of 2010-11, drawing some lines behind the scenes, standing behind the man on the sidelines. As ABC/ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy told Bleacher Report last month: People were trying to make it out that (Erik) Spoelstra was in trouble when they started out. But anyone who really knew and understood how Miami functions knew that there was no trouble. Zero. Right? That was people trying to drive trouble into Miami, but that was never going to happen. It took awhile—Heat insiders will say that it took well into the 2011-12 season—but eventually James gained enough confidence in Spoelstra not only to allow Spoelstra to completely coach him, but to start parroting some of Spoelstras principles, from a leadership position, to the rest of the team. Building that sort of trust takes some time and work, as well as trial and error, as James has continued to reiterate. Nor is it the only, or even most important, aspect of team-building on James agenda. Hes made it plain that he considers camaraderie to be critical to a teams success, even more so than coaching; hes repeatedly said that he was coming back to Cleveland regardless of who the coach was. He didnt return to his old teammates in Cleveland; with the exception of Varejao, he returned to new ones, while bringing Mike Miller and James Jones with him. And its clear, through his public interactions, that James is still most comfortable with those two—as well as former Cavaliers guard and current volunteer assistant Damon Jones. He waited for Miller and Jones to shower before leaving Philips Arena on Tuesday, and then, on their walk through the tunnel, they took turns crooning verses of Kenny Rogers The Gambler. Youve got to know when to hold em. And youve got to know when to fold em. Its not time for the Cavaliers to fold on Blatts coaching tenure. Not yet. Not at 18-13. Not even at any point in this first season. But Blatt does need to figure out a way to get his team, all of his team, to more consistently reflect his philosophy on the floor. That, along with record, is how coaches are judged. It wasnt hard to find a model Tuesday, not with Mike Budenholzer in front of the other bench. Budenholzer had never been a head coach in the NBA prior to last season, but his imprint was all over the Hawks throughout, even if it didnt result in as many wins after Horfords injury. Horford had played in all 30 games this season before nausea kept him out against the Cavaliers. But the system is so entrenched now, that the Hawks looked virtually the same without him. James, prior to Tuesdays shootaround, when it seemed he would be playing in the evening, praised the Hawks as the San Antonio Spurs of the East, a reference to Budenholzers tenure as a Gregg Popovich assistant. He called the system identical to what Popovich uses, a system that James saw in all its power in the 2014 Finals. They move the ball, they share the ball; it doesnt matter who gets the credit, James said. All that matters is the W at the end of the game, and thats what theyre trying to implement down here. And theyre very successful with it. Extremely. But its not easily achieved. Coaching, and personnel, said Thabo Sefolosha, in his first Hawks season after five-plus years in more star-studded Oklahoma City. I think weve got guys on our team that are unselfish by nature, and were buying into what coach is preaching. A guy like Kyle (Korver), like Paul (Millsap), like Al, they could be demanding, to touch the ball down in the post and get more shots. But nobody is really like this by nature. Its definitely different from other teams in this league. Elton Brand, now a Hawks center/forward, has played for five organizations over 15 seasons. Our team buys into sharing the ball because thats the only system that we have, Brand said. We dont even have iso plays. Every other team Ive ever been on, you get the ball in the block, you get the ball on the wing, you get an iso, its set two screens and get this guy a basket. Maybe after timeouts (one player is featured), but other than that, youve got freedom. If youre open, you shoot the ball. And these guys enjoy playing like that, and I think it carries over to defense, too. Millsap credited Budenholzer and his staff for setting the ball-sharing tone with a group of unselfish guys but laughed at Brands assertion of no isolations. I wouldnt say all that, Millsap said. But coach dont like em. I can say that. Sometimes they just happen. Im not sure its anything called. Naturally, they will happen more frequently for the Cavaliers, because no one on the Hawks roster, not even Jeff Teague, has the playmaking ability of James or Irving. Still, James, even with more singular talents, said he believes that Cleveland can adopt some of those collective principles. San Antonio has got guys who need the ball as well, but they still play the game the right way, James said. But every system is different. It doesnt matter how you get into it, its just how the game is flowing, and everyone feeling comfortable. My years in Miami, except for the first year, we didnt play the type of basketball San Antonio played, but we played our style. And we got the ball moving from side to side, we got everyone involved. And at the end of the game, when we needed a shot made by anybody, he could make it, because everybody felt comfortable throughout the 48 minutes. Thats something that, weve had games like that here. We havent had games like that. But I think we know thats the right way to play. Its up to a coach to convince a team to play that way more often. Blatt deserves more time to do so. Still, it needs to start soon. He needs to get the Cavaliers connecting in a way that allows them to climb the standings. Otherwise, four other teams—the Raptors, Wizards, Hawks and Bulls—in the East are good enough to get away, planting the Cavaliers in the fifth seed permanently. That could force Cleveland to get past three of them, in separate playoff series, all while starting on the road, just to get to the NBA Finals. If that happens, the drumbeat for his departure will only grow louder, drowning out any questioning of whether its deserved. Read more NBA news on BleacherReport #NBA #LeBronJames #Opinion #fantasybasketball
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 08:45:37 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015