Does Cavaliers Coach David Blatt Make The Grade?
David Blatt never coached an NBA game prior to this season, but having been described as an international basketball “genius,” expectations were high for the Princeton grad upon his return to the states after a lengthy coaching career overseas.
Blatt accepted the challenge to become Cleveland’s new coach, before he knew the franchise was going to acquire LeBron James and Kevin Love.
Predicted to win the East, the Cavs have had their struggles in the early going, which has brought criticism Blatt’s direction. But as the season’s progressed, the Cavs appear to be moving in the right direction.
So through 24 games, the Cavs are 14-10. Here’s the report card…how do you think Blatt’s stacked up?
D. Back in the summer, when LeBron James decided he was going to return to Cleveland, it all make perfect sense. The King is aging, and needs to be surrounded by younger legs. Well, Blatt is still playing James a ton, as the four-time MVP is averaging 37.7 minutes per game–fourth in the NBA. James has a lot of miles on those legs, especially considering all of the playoff minutes he’s accrued through the years. Blatt must find a way to cut down his minutes, and not play James 40 minutes per contest, especially when the Cavs jump out to a 21-0 lead, as they did against against the Hornets Dec. 15.. F. LeBron James. PLAYING TIME
Kyrie Irving. IMPROVED DEFENSE. B. On offense, <strong><a href=. G
The Bench. BENCH SCORING. D. Remember when the Cavs announced that <strong><a href=. All-Around
Cleveland Cavaliers. IMPROVED OFFENSE. B. The Cavs spent the first month of season looking stagnant, waiting for LeBron James or Kyrie Irving to make something happen. There was a lot of dribbling, not a lot of ball movement, and more losses than Cavs’ fans expected. But during the eight-game winning streak, the offense looked polished, as James handled point guard duties, which allowed Irving to operate off the ball–a role he thrived in. While Irving is in the negative in defensive RPM, his offensive RPM (4.28) is the sixth-best mark in the entire NBA. <strong><a href=. All-Around
C. It’s been a year of ups and downs for Waiters, as Blatt tries to figure out how to make the most of his talents. In Waiters’ first 17 games, he averaged 8.1 points and shot 36 percent, well below his career average of 42 percent. But of late, Waiters has shown glimpses of showing out, and was probably one of the lone bright spots during Tuesday night’s debacle against Atlanta. He shot 50 percent from the field, going for 21 points in the loss. For December, he’s averaging 10.9 per game, while shooting about 45 percent from the field. During the final two games of the Cavs eight-game winning streak, Waiters was 18-of-31 for 44 points. He’s showing signs of meshing with his teammates, but there’s still lots of room for improvement.. G. Cavaliers.
B-. It hasn’t been all smooth sailing for Blatt, but for the most part, the Cavs are getting better. Cleveland is a team still learning to play together, and they’re going to have off nights, as the Cavs showed against Atlanta in that embarrassing 29-point loss. But the team is moving in the right direction. The offense looks improved, and players such as Irving and Love have played out of their mind for the first year coach. If Blatt can now figure out how to reduce James’ minutes, while getting steady production from the bench, the Cavs should ascend to be the threat in the Eastern Conference that many predicted they’d be.. Coach. Cavaliers. DAVID BLATT
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