David Blatt accepts championship ring that Cavs offered

[Hey Yo]

Former Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt said Tuesday night that he will accept the championship ring the Cavs have offered him despite Blatt's dismissal halfway through the 2015-16 regular season.


"They offered and I graciously accepted because they presented it to me in a way that was very respectful," Blatt told Israel-based basketball reporter David Pick. "The Cavaliers wanted to give me a ring because the organization felt that I contributed to the championship.

"It's not my championship, I recognize that, but I also feel that I did something there, and I graciously accepted because it was a gracious offer on their part. The big thing for me was that I felt that they felt that it was earned, not given, therefore I was happy to accept."‎


http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/17715322/david-blatt-says-accept-championship-ring-cleveland-cavaliers

[Real14]

It's really messed up how Lebron did that man.

[I<3NBA]

yea, he did contribute no matter what others say. Lue did say that some of the sets they were using in finals vs GSW were Blatt's.

[AintNoSunshine]

Good. Because their 2015 campaign must have been an important learning experience for them. So I think it's fair to say Blatt did contribute. Definitely more than the last guy on the bench.

[Knicksfever2010]

Does this mean he's a considered a championship coach?

[RedBlackAttack]

He deserves a ring. It was pointed out multiple times during the Cavs' playoff run that they were running many of the sets Blatt attempted to install. I think he helped Coach Lue prepare for the job and he left a lasting footprint on the way they game-planned. Blatt did a great job of adding wrinkles and knowing how to adjust the rotation as the injuries mounted in the 2015 playoffs.

That continued with Lue in 2016 and Blatt deserves some credit for leaving a bit of a blueprint, imo.

It's pretty obvious to me that LeBron never really embraced Blatt, so unfortunately he had to go ... and things ended up working out perfectly with what followed. But, Blatt got a raw deal and I think he could still be an excellent coach in this league on a younger team still in developmental stages.

Remember, that's the kind of team he thought he was getting in Cleveland. The Cavs had re-signed Kyrie Irving and were going to sign Gordon Hayward before LeBron turned the league on its head.

Think about Blatt coaching this lineup:

PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Andrew Wiggins
SF: Gordon Hayward
PF: ?
C: Tristan Thompson

The Cavs still had plenty of room to make other moves with their salary flexibility, tons of draft picks and moveable pieces like Dion Waiters on the roster.

Blatt would have been perfect in that situation, imo.

[SamuraiSWISH]

Blatt deserves it more than Lue.

[Hey Yo]

Blatt deserves it more than Lue. Black coaches are retarded.
Well whatta ya know....

Is that why you no longer hold your NCAA coaching position?

[Real14]

Blatt deserves it more than Lue.
Exactly. He's the only one besides Varejao to deserve a ring from that bullshit title.

[Hoopz2332]

Blatt deserves it more than Lue.


hell no. Kevin Love would disagree:oldlol:

[JT123]

Blatt deserves it more than Lue.
Racist clown. :facepalm

[SCdac]

Very respectful and don't blame him for accepting it. Guy was a rookie NBA coach and thrown into the big-ego fire. Did fairly well from what I can tell but didn't get to see too many of their games early on

[G-train]

I would have told Gilbert to go jam the ring up Lebron's ass.

[theaussieguy]

I am glad he got one but honestly they should have given it to that slathered up Lithuanian goon who did Curry in

[BigKAT]

Very respectful and don't blame him for accepting it. Guy was a rookie NBA coach and thrown into the big-ego fire. Did fairly well from what I can tell but didn't get to see too many of their games early on

That's my mindset too.

I actually got to watch most of the games that year.
David Blatt is a big fan favorite here in my country, since he just coached Maccabi Tel Aviv to a triple crown (Euroleague, Priemere League and Cup) a season before.

Sucked to see him sacked, I really hope he can get another gig.
No doubt he agreeed to one job and got a completely different situation.

I think he could do well with a team like the Jazz or Sacramento. (not that I have anything against Snyder, I think he's great.)

[DukeDelonte13]

Blatt is a great tactician but just couldn't connect with the players. IMO a lot of the blame goes to the players for not being professionals, but to be fair Blatt could have done a better a job in that regard.

David Griffin deserves a lot of praise for that risky move that many people including myself heavily criticized.

Blatt definitely deserves a ring and so does Andy.

[SouBeachTalents]

Exactly. He's the only one besides Varejao to deserve a ring from that bullshit title.

This fakkit is still melting down :lol

[keep-itreal]

When Blatt was coach, he didn't use Kevin Love the same way Lue did so I wonder how exactly was Lue using Blatt's plays at all

[Lebron23]

Good for him. But Tyron Lue is the better coach.

[SCdac]

That's my mindset too.

I actually got to watch most of the games that year.
David Blatt is a big fan favorite here in my country, since he just coached Maccabi Tel Aviv to a triple crown (Euroleague, Priemere League and Cup) a season before.

Sucked to see him sacked, I really hope he can get another gig.
No doubt he agreeed to one job and got a completely different situation.

I think he could do well with a team like the Jazz or Sacramento. (not that I have anything against Snyder, I think he's great.)

I love Israel and cannot wait to go back (went 4 years ago). Next time I want to catch a Maccabi Tel Aviv game. Shana Tova my friend and hope you have a great new year!

[Ben Simmons]

Blatt is a great tactician but just couldn't connect with the players. IMO a lot of the blame goes to the players for not being professionals, but to be fair Blatt could have done a better a job in that regard.

David Griffin deserves a lot of praise for that risky move that many people including myself heavily criticized.

Blatt definitely deserves a ring and so does Andy.
Varejao literally tried to stop the Cavs from winning.

[SouBeachTalents]

Varejao literally tried to flop the Cavs from winning.

FTFY

[Rocketswin2013]

Blatt is a great tactician but just couldn't connect with the players. IMO a lot of the blame goes to the players for not being professionals, but to be fair Blatt could have done a better a job in that regard.

David Griffin deserves a lot of praise for that risky move that many people including myself heavily criticized.

Blatt definitely deserves a ring and so does Andy.
Blatt was pretty unprofessional himself.

[RedBlackAttack]

Varejao literally tried to stop the Cavs from winning.
Yes, he literally did.

...like this:

http://img3.cache.netease.com/sports/2016/6/3/20160603104530fc465.gif

His flop on Delly was 100x worse. Maybe it was karmic justice because the Cavs benefited from Andy's flopping for years, but it seemed like his flops PER 36 were through the roof in The Finals.

He almost gave Jeff VanGundy a stroke.

He should absolutely not get a ring under any circumstances.

[HurricaneKid]

Dudes in the ticket office are getting rings. Why don't you guys pile on them for not turning down rings.

OF COURSE HE SHOULD GET A ****ING RING. Dudes that got 10 day deals 6 months before the playoffs get them. I bet Gilbert's KIDS got them.

And racist POS's like teapot...

I hate this place sometimes...

[G-train]

Good for him. But Tyron Lue is the better coach.

Lebron is the coach.