Blatt also garnered a ton of interest from various National Basketball Association teams this off season, which were looking to fill their head coach vacancies. There were no initial pleasantries. You’d expect Lue would have jumped at the opportunity to coach the team, but he was reportedly hesitant when he was first offered.
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And while Blatt’s tenure in the National Basketball Association was brief, he did win 67.5 percent of his games (83-40) and guided the Cavs to the Finals last season.
“This is f– up, Griff”, Lue said To Griffin.
With James, Blatt coached the Cavaliers to a 53-29 record, good for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, but the team fell short of its title expectations after running into injury trouble and the red-hot Golden State Warriors in the Finals. “I’m asking you if you can lead this team?” asked Griffin. As the months began to tick away, it seemed evident that Blatt’s best chance to get back on the bench would be overseas. But Lue wouldn’t go that far when asked if the Cavs have a preference between Oklahoma City and Golden State.
Cavs owner Dan Gilbert spoke to Cleveland.com about the firing, which is something he hasn’t done much of this season. He was a loyal assistant who didn’t want to be seen as someone gunning for another man’s job. “You never know what would happen any other way, but I think [Lue is] fantastic”. He’s a special guy.”Lue’s personable demeanor has permitted him to maximize his team’s potential”. You get both with him, like offense and defense nearly. How that player adapts is dependent on the relationship he has with his coach.In dealing with Kevin Love, there’s a constant open line of communication.
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“We might play 4 minutes, we might play 14 minutes, but we’re going to give it our all”, Lue said. But Lue’s ability to explain his decisions allowed him to win over the locker room.
