Cavaliers general manager David Griffin did not consult superstar forward Lebron James before making the coaching change, ESPN reported. “I’d like to thank Dan Gilbert and David Griffin for giving me this opportunity and am honored to have worked with an unbelievable group of players from LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love through our entire roster”.
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Chicago Bulls (24-18) heads into this matchup on the back of successive defeats and have dropped three of their last four games.
Jan 23, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue (C) huddles with his tea …
James’ calculating image wasn’t helped when the Cavaliers stunningly fired David Blatt on Friday, despite Blatt leading the team to the NBA Finals last season and an Eastern Conference-best 30-11 record this season.
They also scored a measly 14 points in the 1st quarter.
James just missed his first triple-double this season, finishing with 26 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists.
When the final horn sounded, the Cavs were booed by their own fans, not the sound Cleveland’s front-office was hoping to hear. Players respected Lue as a former player, and Lue often had to handle aspects of coaching that Blatt couldn’t handle, such as timeouts. “I think early, we wanted to push it, we wanted to open the floor and I think we came out and did that and then I think we just dropped off the map”, Lue said.
Lue’s got work to do, but he was mostly pleased with his team’s effort.
Asked about his relationship with Carmelo Anthony, Fisher said, “You have to learn what makes them tick, not just a franchise player, role player or rookie”. He believes the Cavs aren’t having as much fun as they should be and is intent on improving their attitude. You’re supposed to win.
That’s good place for him to start because the Cavs again looked uninspired and not like title contenders.
Despite the talks, however, about Blatt’s sacking, the show most go on for the Cavs, and all eyes will now be on the National Basketball Association finalists when they take the court at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. His brother Jeff was part of the broadcast team for the first Cavaliers game since the decision and he focused his attention on how it has been covered by the media. He added eight rebounds. He met him in 2014 while on a recruiting visit for Iowa State.
“I think (Griffin) was right in everything that he said. It’s a tough part of this business when something like that happens”.
Cleveland have lost only two of their last 11 games but one was to the San Antonio Spurs and the other was a crushing 132-98 loss at the hands of the defending champion Golden State Warriors.
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Cavaliers: Smith played in his 800th career game….
