Sources: Blatt Not Reaching Cavs

In this Nov. 7, 2013, file photo, coach David Blatt gestures to his players during their Euroleague basketball match. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis, File)

Brian Windhorst and Marc Stein, ESPN

 
(ESPN.com)—There is a growing level of worry within the Cleveland Cavaliers’ organization about first-year coach David Blatt and his ability to reach this team, according to league sources.

Sources told ESPN.com that there is rising concern in team circles about the level of response Blatt is getting on the floor, with Blatt himself acknowledging that the Cavaliers “lost our energy and we lost our competitiveness” in Sunday night’s embarrassing home loss to Detroit.

The Cavs would naturally prefer not to be forced into making an evaluation of their new coach just 30 games into Blatt’s NBA career, cognizant of the fact that the job has quickly evolved into a much different job — after LeBron James stunningly decided in July to return to his home-state team in free agency — than it was when Blatt was hired away from Israeli power Maccabi Tel-Aviv in June with no NBA experience.
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