In an absolutely stunning move, the Cleveland Cavaliers have reportedly fired head coach David Blatt mere months after he led the team to the NBA Finals.
Yahoo Sports NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report the news Friday afternoon:
Cleveland has fired coach David Blatt, sources tell Yahoo.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 22, 2016
It’s not yet known what led to Blatt’s firing, but it’s safe to say the brass in Cleveland wasn’t exactly too thrilled with the team’s 34-point home loss to the Golden State Warriors on Monday — a game that saw the Cavaliers get blown out on national television against the same team it lost to in the Finals back in June.
Rarely do we see a head coach get canned in the midst of a season in which his team boasts the best record in the conference. This seems to be an indication that there could be something much larger going on in Cleveland.
We have all read the reports of issues LeBron James has had with Blatt in the past. Whether that played a role in the firing is anyone’s guess.
What we do know is that a coach with a career .675 winning percentage was just thrown out like dirty laundry by the Cavaliers.
This is going to send some relatively major shock waves through the Association over the next several days.
Cleveland is 30-11 on the season and would be the top seed in the Eastern Conference as of right now.
Assistant coach Tyronn Lue is expected to take over for Blatt for the remainder of the season.