About that rift between LeBron James and Cleveland Cavaliers head coach David Blatt…
It doesn’t exist.
Not right now at least.
The relationship between the two has been described as tenuous at best over the last year-plus. David Blatt was new to the NBA coaching scene last season, assuming control of a team that was supposed to be rebuilding. But then LeBron comes to town, essentially bringing Kevin Love with him. Just like that, the Cavaliers are contenders, and David Blatt seems like an unfit sideline newbie.
Reports gradually started to trickle out that Cleveland was becoming LeBron’s show. He called plays, ignored plays, took control of huddles, appeared disinterested when Blatt was talking, etc. The drama reached fever pitch during the playoffs, and though it eventually slowed, Blatt entered 2015-16 looking like something of a puppet.
But the Cavaliers offense is different this season. There’s more ball movement, less, albeit still too much, one-on-one sets. David Blatt is leaving his imprint in Cleveland, and he’s doing so with the support of LeBron, who had some super kind words for his commanding officer ahead of the Cavaliers’ victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night, per The Associated Press (via USA Today):
He does his job, as great as any coach can do in this league,” James said Thursday morning at Cleveland’s shootaround before its night game against Milwaukee. “It’s up for us to go out and produce.”
Those in the know will tell you that an understated part of LeBron’s greatness is his willingness to be coached. He went through the same feeling-out period with Erik Spoelstra in Miami, but by the time his tenure with the Heat came to an end, he was doing things he hadn’t before at the obvious behest of his coach—posting up, playing more power forward, etc.
And judging by Cleveland’s offense, which still sometimes devolves into mass isolation sets punctuated by inefficient shots, LeBron is taking more of what Blatt says to heart. More than they ever did last year, Blatt and LeBron seem like they’re on the same page, sharing a mutual respect for one another.
That is huge for the Cavaliers, if for no other reason than the relationship between David Blatt and LeBron is one less piece of rumor-mill clickbait they need to be worried about.
