David Blatt fired as Cavaliers coach

The Cavaliers are replacing their coach despite a 30-11 record and have hired his lead assistant to be his permanent replacement.

The Cleveland Cavaliers own the best record in the Eastern Conference and are one season removed from appearing in the finals, but no jobs are ever safe in the coaching profession. The Cavaliers made that clear on Friday afternoon by firing Coach David Blatt in an organizational shake-up three weeks before the All-Star break.

Blatt gets the ax after the Cavaliers' embarrassing 34-point loss at home to the Golden State Warriors on Monday, but Cleveland was still 30-11 and the class of the Eastern Conference despite many injuries. Nevertheless, general manager David Griffin made the decision to move in a different direction.

At his news conference, Griffin was critical of Blatt, saying the team lacked “connectiveness” and was a “collection of individuals” rather than a unified group. The move came only hours after the Cavaliers defeated the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night.

Blatt addressed his firing in a statement released on social media by his agency, Priority Sports. In the statement, Blatt said he was grateful for the opportunity to have coached the team and thanked LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love for “their professionalism, hard work, loyalty and friendship.”