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According to Chris Sheridan, the job security of Cleveland Cavaliers head coach David Blatt may not be as strong as one would think. Before Game 6, Sheridan tweeted that he has “reason to believe Blatt’s job is on the line.” If Sheridan’s sources are correct, this move by the Cavaliers would make no sense at all. Despite Cleveland’s injuries and playoff inexperience, Blatt coached the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals in his first year as a head coach in the league.
This run to the NBA Finals is certainly an impressive one, considering the roster that got them there. In the first round of the playoffs, Kevin Love saw his season come to an end, as Kelly Olynyk pulled on Love’s arm and dislocated his shoulder. Additionally, Kyrie Irving was hobbled for much of the playoffs as well. Irving, dealing with tendinitis in his left knee against both the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks, was ruled out for the season with a fractured knee cap after notching 44 minutes in his first NBA Finals game.
With all of this going against the Cavaliers, Cleveland still managed to sweep the Eastern Conference Finals against a Hawks team that won 60 games in the regular season to appear in their second NBA Finals in franchise history. Given all of this adversity in the NBA Finals, the team somehow found a way to win two games against a much deeper squad at full health.
With that being said, Sheridan’s tweet will probably be ignored by most NBA fans. However, Sheridan has shown credibility in recent months, especially with regards to the Cavaliers. During this past offseason, Sheridan was one of the first to declare that James was returning to Cleveland.
Although Sheridan may be a credible source, it is difficult to believe that Blatt will be let go after one season given the success of the Cavaliers this past season. However, if there is an owner who has made questionable calls regarding head coaches, it is Cleveland’s Dan Gilbert. Before hiring Blatt, Gilbert fired Mike Brown, who he had hired for a second time just a season earlier.
Nicholas Sciria is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Nick_Sciria, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
