David Blatt’s removal in Cleveland more or less means that LeBron James will be labeled a “coach killer.” That may not be fair to LeBron, but given the circumstances, that’s the general consensus.
And as you can imagine, LeBron is none too pleased with this label. It’s amazing how it feels like the wheels have fallen off in Cleveland despite them being the runaway favorites in the East.
“I think it does suck that people want to throw my name in the dirt,” James said.
Some have labeled James a “coach killer” for his perceived involvement in Blatt’s ouster, portraying James as a puppet master pulling the strings in order to elevate his preferred coach, Tyronn Lue, to the top spot.
“It sucks,” James said. “But what can I do about it? I’ve never, in my time since I picked up a basketball, ever undermined a coach, ever disrespected a coach. You ask any of my little league coaches, my high school coaches, coaches I’ve played for in tournaments, camps, my NBA coaches. I’ve always respected what they wanted to do. And I’m not the owner of a team, I’m not the GM of a team. I’m the player of a team.
“People get it so misconstrued because I’m a smart basketball player and I’ve voiced my opinion about certain things, which I did when I was here my first stint with Paul Silas and Mike Brown. Which I did in Miami with Coach Spo [Erik Spoelstra]. Which I did with Blatt and I’ll do with T-Lue. And at the end of the day, they’ll still have their final call.”
H/T: ESPN
