Around the League: Week 13 1/18-1/24

[ShelC]

Again, it's semantics. LeBron doesn't have to go to Dan Gilbert or David Griffin and say "Fire Blatt", but they know how he feels, his agent had probably made it known throughout the season. Where there's smoke there's fire and everyone knew LeBron was straight up disregarding and disrespecting Blatt and wanted Lue as coach. They're back to square one with Bron Bron getting his way within the organization. Didn't do them any good last time and it won't do them any good this time.

"LeBron doesn't run this organization; LeBron is about this organization and of this organization,"

Their PR team earned their pay today with that line.

[The Bobster]

Also, Jack McKinney started the 1979-80 season as Lakers coach, leading them to a 10-4 start before he was seriously injured in a bicycle accident. His assistant Paul Westhead took over, leading the Lakers to the NBA title and McKinney was fired in the offseason.

So although ESPN included him on their list of coaches fired after a great start it wasn't quite so simple. It would be more like Golden State letting Steve Kerr go so they could keep Luke Walton as coach.

Actually, the Lakers wanted Jerry West as coach at the time, and went so far as to announce him as coach. West balked and Riley took hesitatingly took it.

That was after Westhead was fired in 1981-82 when they started the season 7-4 after finishing 2nd to the Suns in the Pacific and losing to the Rockets in the first round in 1981. West had already gone through one stint as Laker coach and they tried to name him and Riley as co-coaches, but he didn't want any part of that and they made Riley (who had been Westhead's assistant) the coach.

[Shabazz]

Hey Ryan,

Perfect time for an under the radar Markieff trade.

Thanks buddy,

Suns fans

[SDC]

The only firing I can recall that compares to this was Philadelphia's firing of Gene Shue in 1977-78.

What about Westhead and the Lakers?

yeah, huge ommission by bobster. #magic

[SDC]

i'm going to speculate that lebron and blatt had a clash of ideas on how to run the team, and now it is basically lebron as player-coach with Tyrone lue as his proxy.

[SDC]

this is the westhead narrative

http://www.realclearsports.com/lists/co ... hnson.html

Early in the '81-'82 season Magic, by then the highest paid player and one of the biggest stars in the NBA, had a dispute with Westhead and demanded to be traded. Johnson thought the Lakers’ offense was unimaginative and too slow. A day later Westhead was fired despite having won five straight games and replaced by assistant Pat Riley.

westhead returned to nba coaching with a new system for the denver nuggets, Run and Gun.

http://hardwoodparoxysm.com/2012/02/14/ ... -westhead/

In his own mind, Westhead was certain he knew what he was doing, saying before the season started, “We’re gonna run, we’re gonna keep on running, if the pace ever slows down, we’ll speed it up and we’re gonna run and run and run some more! … There will be 200-point games. I feel very confident that we will be on the upside of that score but 200 points is gonna happen.”

"redemption" in 2007

http://espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3039568

SEATTLE -- Paul Westhead is leaving the WNBA champion
Phoenix Mercury to return to the NBA, accepting an assistant coach
job with the Seattle SuperSonics on Thursday.

[carey]

Worth a read if this topic has any interest for you: http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf ... d_and.html

During the first portion of the 2014-15 season, film sessions were a topic of discussion among the players. Blatt was reluctant to criticize star players even when they clearly messed up a play. This became routine. It got so bad that I'm told that Lue finally intervened, stood up and demanded that somebody rewind the footage so that he could get on members of The Big 3.

During team scrimmages, players competed aggressively but bit their tongues as Blatt frequently blew his whistle to call ticky-tack or phantom fouls for his go-to players. One player said sometimes Blatt didn't even have a whistle and would yell at the top of his lungs to stop play and call a foul if one of his stars acted as if he was hit.

It was viewed as a blatant attempt to get in the good graces of his top talent. Blatt's leadership was in question. Players grew tired of this treatment. The locker room started resenting Blatt's handling, or lack thereof, when it came to dealing with his stars.

Word circulated to cleveland.com that Blatt had trouble drawing up plays out of timeouts. He would freeze up and waste precious seconds, one player said. He would even draw up plays for players who weren't in the game, another player said.

This season, Blatt almost didn't make it past 2015. The 29-point road trouncing at the hands of the Damian Lillard-less Portland Trail Blazers on Dec. 26 was close to being his next-to-last game. If it wasn't for a unimpressive win over Phoenix two days later, Blatt would have been shown the door the following morning, cleveland.com has learned.

But this predicament wasn't Blatt's fault. He didn't sign up for this roster. He was brought in to be a teacher and help mold a young Kyrie Irving, a younger Andrew Wiggins and a young, fiery Dion Waiters. He had to adjust on the fly while coaching one of the most talented rosters in the league.

I think this is bullshit... it should go to *gulp* Dwane Casey.

Lue will have only have led the team for 11 games, but will likely coach the Eastern Conference All-Stars in Toronto next month. Timing is everything.

[carey]

A lot of buzz on twitter about the above article. How it's a hatchet job on Blatt written at the behest of Rich Paul.

[Indy]

A lot of buzz on twitter about the above article. How it's a hatchet job on Blatt written at the behest of Rich Paul.

Seems right. Doesn't match some of the other stories.

[SDC]

never deal with clients of rich paul.

[carey]

A lot of buzz on twitter about the above article. How it's a hatchet job on Blatt written at the behest of Rich Paul.

Seems right. Doesn't match some of the other stories.

Such as what?

[Charlie Smithy!]

I guess this sounds stupid, and maybe I'd feel different if it actually happened, but I'm really glad as a fan that I've never had to root for a Kobe or a LeBron.

[Aztec Sunsfan]

I guess this sounds stupid, and maybe I'd feel different if it actually happened, but I'm really glad as a fan that I've never had to root for a Kobe or a LeBron.

Same here, I was actually afraid the summer we chase Lebron, on me having to root for him to win.

[JCSunsfan]

A lot of buzz on twitter about the above article. How it's a hatchet job on Blatt written at the behest of Rich Paul.

If they mean it they need to trade for Chandler. He will stand up to LeBron.

[OE32]

I guess this sounds stupid, and maybe I'd feel different if it actually happened, but I'm really glad as a fan that I've never had to root for a Kobe or a LeBron.

Though we did have to root for Shaq once...

[wpmiller42]

I'd take Blatt as coach here.

[Indy]

A lot of buzz on twitter about the above article. How it's a hatchet job on Blatt written at the behest of Rich Paul.

If they mean it they need to trade for Chandler. He will stand up to LeBron.

He hasn't shown anything this year to make me think that would happen. Why do you think that?

[Uncle_Gene]

I don't think I could be in Lue's situation right now. The expectation in Cleveland is NOT just playoffs, conference finals, or NBA finals. They're suppose to >>>WIN<<< the championship. That has to be too much to bear. If they come up short, a lot of fingers will be pointed at him.

Good Luck, Tyronn Lue.

[Uncle_Gene]

Side thought: Robin Lopez smacked Chris Paul in the mouth.......and DIDN'T get suspended ???????

UNBELEIEVABLE

[TOO]

Side thought: Robin Lopez smacked Chris Paul in the mouth.......and DIDN'T get suspended ???????

UNBELEIEVABLE

Couldn't happen to a nicer prick.