INDEPENDENCE: Cavs general manager David Griffin saw a team that thrived more off adversity than success. He didn’t like the tone of the locker room and didn’t think the Cavs were reaching expectations.
As a result, coach David Blatt was fired Friday despite the Cavs’ 30-11 mark and top spot in the Eastern Conference. He was replaced by Tyronn Lue.
“Sometimes you can win games in the regular season and get worse,” Griffin said. “We were regressing over a period of time.”
It’s a stunning development on the surface for a team in first place and challenging for a championship, but Blatt struggled connecting with his players since arriving in Cleveland last season.