BOSTON — The Cleveland Cavaliers’ decision Friday to fire head coach David Blatt sent shock waves through the NBA, and the reverberations were felt in Boston.
Cavs general manager David Griffin announced in a press conference Friday night Blatt would be relieved of his duties after less than two years as the team’s head coach and replaced by Cavs assistant coach and former Boston Celtics assistant Tyronn Lue.
Around that same time Friday, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens, himself in just his third season in the NBA, was asked for his reaction to the news.
“I don’t know how you guys felt, (but) I was surprised by that,” Stevens said before Boston’s game against the Chicago Bulls. “He’s a really good coach. Obviously we’ve talked about when (Brooklyn Nets coach) Lionel (Hollins) got fired last week, I mean, there’s a lot of really good coaches in this league. It’s probably not the most secure profession to choose, but David Blatt did a heck of a job. He won a ton of games, he handled himself, I thought, with great grace all the way through.”
In a sign of respect for Blatt, Stevens, who’s always been known as a very good play-caller, admitted he took a page from the Framingham, Mass., native’s playbook quite recently.
“I stole a play from him that we got an open (3-pointer) on the other day,” Stevens said. “I would think he’s not going to be unemployed long. He’s a heck of a coach.”
Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg, who has seen mixed results during his first season in Chicago, echoed Stevens’ sentiments, revealing Blatt invited him to Cavaliers training camp while he was the head coach at Iowa State.
“He’s such a good man,” Hoiberg said. “Last year at Iowa State, he welcomed me to his training camp. I went there, sat in his office. He talked to me, gave me film on a bunch of stuff. Just a really good person, I think a hell of a basketball coach. It’s a tough day. He was great to me when I got into this league, so yeah, it’s tough news.”
Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
