Why did Lebron James hate Erik Spoelstra and David Blatt?

[Domejandro]

I don't think he was a fan of Blatt though. Blatt as great of a coach as he was in Europe, he was not ready to coach at an NBA level with a title or bust type of team. He was hired before Lebron came back.

Oh come on, David Blatt ran a phenomenal system and Cleveland made the Finals that season. The idea that he "was not ready" to coach an NBA team is beyond preposterous, which was proven by the fact that he was successful during his tenure.

[Domejandro]

I really hate all of the blatant hatchet jobs on David Blatt that the NBA-media propagated during his entire tenure as coach, anyone that even slightly knows of his reputation in Europe should be able to tell that a lot of the claims are blatantly nonsensical.

The whole "late to practice" situation is something that is **** hilariously overblown to justify LeBron being a giant **** towards David Blatt the entire time; the fact that people are buying into that is, frankly, mind-boggling.

LeBron James continuously ignored David Blatt when David Blatt corrected him in the beginning of the year, management were too cowardly to protect the coach they hired (perhaps for the best given that it is the greatest player on the planet), and Coach Blatt was completely undermined from the get-go. It is what it is, there is obviously no turning back at this point, but I find people shifting the blame onto David Blatt to be incredibly unfair given the ridiculous circumstances he was set under.

[qm22]

I really hate all of the blatant hatchet jobs on David Blatt that the NBA-media propagated during his entire tenure as coach, anyone that even slightly knows of his reputation in Europe should be able to tell that a lot of the claims are blatantly nonsensical.

The whole "late to practice" situation is something that is **** hilariously overblown to justify LeBron being a giant **** towards David Blatt the entire time; the fact that people are buying into that is, frankly, mind-boggling.

LeBron James continuously ignored David Blatt when David Blatt corrected him in the beginning of the year, management were too cowardly to protect the coach they hired (perhaps for the best given that it is the greatest player on the planet), and Coach Blatt was completely undermined from the get-go. It is what it is, there is obviously no turning back at this point, but I find people shifting the blame onto David Blatt to be incredibly unfair given the ridiculous circumstances he was set under.

Where is your evidence? The "hatchet jobs" were apparently independent and involved several issues. Being late wasn't the only thing.

It's a bit ridiculous that you suggest that if someone had a good reputation as a coach in Europe could not ever have significant insufficiencies as an NBA coach. The writing in your last paragraph seems a bit like unconcealed bias. "Corrected him"? Your writing is like, "when LeBron was being bad and Coach David Blatt was being good, management failed Coach Blatt."

But I would agree people cannot say for certain how much blame he should get, just like they cannot know whether your blaming LeBron is incredibly unfair, either. Besides, not all good coaches would be right for all teams, let alone the Cavs... like they may not have been right for the Bulls or Laker dynasties. Most teams in the NBA are better off having coaches that can adapt to players than vice versa, especially when the player is LeBron.

Thus, even if you were right that those stories were hatchet jobs (waiting on the evidence of that), it's reasonable he's fired if he didn't communicate well. If someone can't get through to players he shouldn't be the head coach. Maybe assistant coaching would be suitable for people with good basketball strategy but poor communication and leadership.

[jswede]

I don't think he was a fan of Blatt though. Blatt as great of a coach as he was in Europe, he was not ready to coach at an NBA level with a title or bust type of team. He was hired before Lebron came back.

Oh come on, David Blatt ran a phenomenal system and Cleveland made the Finals that season. The idea that he "was not ready" to coach an NBA team is beyond preposterous, which was proven by the fact that he was successful during his tenure.

What more do you need?

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2016/01/why_david_blatt_got_fired_and.html

During the first portion of the 2014-15 season, film sessions were a topic of discussion among the players. Blatt was reluctant to criticize star players even when they clearly messed up a play. This became routine. It got so bad that I'm told that Lue finally intervened, stood up and demanded that somebody rewind the footage so that he could get on members of The Big 3.

During team scrimmages, players competed aggressively but bit their tongues as Blatt frequently blew his whistle to call ticky-tack or phantom fouls for his go-to players. One player said sometimes Blatt didn't even have a whistle and would yell at the top of his lungs to stop play and call a foul if one of his stars acted as if he was hit.

It was viewed as a blatant attempt to get in the good graces of his top talent. Blatt's leadership was in question. Players grew tired of this treatment. The locker room started resenting Blatt's handling, or lack thereof, when it came to dealing with his stars.

Word circulated to cleveland.com that Blatt had trouble drawing up plays out of timeouts. He would freeze up and waste precious seconds, one player said. He would even draw up plays for players who weren't in the game, another player said.

[BasketballFan21]

I don't think he was a fan of Blatt though. Blatt as great of a coach as he was in Europe, he was not ready to coach at an NBA level with a title or bust type of team. He was hired before Lebron came back.

Oh come on, David Blatt ran a phenomenal system and Cleveland made the Finals that season. The idea that he "was not ready" to coach an NBA team is beyond preposterous, which was proven by the fact that he was successful during his tenure.

What more do you need?

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2016/01/why_david_blatt_got_fired_and.html

During the first portion of the 2014-15 season, film sessions were a topic of discussion among the players. Blatt was reluctant to criticize star players even when they clearly messed up a play. This became routine. It got so bad that I'm told that Lue finally intervened, stood up and demanded that somebody rewind the footage so that he could get on members of The Big 3.

During team scrimmages, players competed aggressively but bit their tongues as Blatt frequently blew his whistle to call ticky-tack or phantom fouls for his go-to players. One player said sometimes Blatt didn't even have a whistle and would yell at the top of his lungs to stop play and call a foul if one of his stars acted as if he was hit.

It was viewed as a blatant attempt to get in the good graces of his top talent. Blatt's leadership was in question. Players grew tired of this treatment. The locker room started resenting Blatt's handling, or lack thereof, when it came to dealing with his stars.

Word circulated to cleveland.com that Blatt had trouble drawing up plays out of timeouts. He would freeze up and waste precious seconds, one player said. He would even draw up plays for players who weren't in the game, another player said.

I don't see this quote as a defense of Lebron... seems clear to me that Blatt was trying to curry favor with the stars because Lebron made it clear from the beginning Blatt wasn't going to get their respect, and the organization made it clear from the beginning they were going to bend to Lebron's will.

Lebron never gave Blatt a chance so Blatt brown nosed in an attempt to keep his job.

[Xherdan 23]

I really hate all of the blatant hatchet jobs on David Blatt that the NBA-media propagated during his entire tenure as coach, anyone that even slightly knows of his reputation in Europe should be able to tell that a lot of the claims are blatantly nonsensical.

The whole "late to practice" situation is something that is **** hilariously overblown to justify LeBron being a giant **** towards David Blatt the entire time; the fact that people are buying into that is, frankly, mind-boggling.

LeBron James continuously ignored David Blatt when David Blatt corrected him in the beginning of the year, management were too cowardly to protect the coach they hired (perhaps for the best given that it is the greatest player on the planet), and Coach Blatt was completely undermined from the get-go. It is what it is, there is obviously no turning back at this point, but I find people shifting the blame onto David Blatt to be incredibly unfair given the ridiculous circumstances he was set under.

This isn't really accurate.
Blatt has a much better reputation than he actually is based on accolades.

I've watched Blatt's coaching career for over 20 years now and I can honestly say he's not a top-tier coach.

Blatt's strengths are defensive schemes and getting the most out of limited players (like Delly or Tristan).

These strengths make him a wonderful assistant coach but he lacks a lot as a head coach.

His teams are always useless in the half court and are completely reliant on individual star's iso plays.

He's also very weak at in-game adjustments and often makes the same subs at the same minutes even if the game clearly gets out of hand.

I'ts not just the NBA teams that aren't chasing him - he never coached a team for more than two seasons straight, is currently coaching in a small caliber team (not even top 2) in Turkey.

Meanwhile his home club Maccabi Tel-Aviv is having an awful season, had 5 different coaches in the past 2 years and still, no one is even considering taking him back despite winning the Euroleague in his last season with Maccabi.

That said, he is an all-time floor raiser so if you're a mediocre team with no superstar like the Magic or Pistons, Blatt will probably do a better job than 80% of NBA coaches.

[iamworthy]

We're calling a guy that took four different coaches to the finals a coach killer? Lol comical

To address OP's point though, I don't think Lebron disliked Spo. I think he wasn't ready for the militant like culture in Miami but it helped him mature physically and mentally and he won 2 titles.

I don't think he was a fan of Blatt though. Blatt as great of a coach as he was in Europe, he was not ready to coach at an NBA level with a title or bust type of team. He was hired before Lebron came back.

Last thing I want to say is Lue is a great coach. I think he doesnt get enough credit for the adjustments he made in last years finals. He utilized Love better than Blatt ever did (after Blatt was fired.)He's also a genius when it comes to ATO plays and I wouldn't be surprised if he's ranked up there with the best of them when it comes to the success of them.

Absolutely. He didn't like Spo or Blatt, and didn't listen or take them seriously despite the fact that both are good coaches, who are classy men, and have gained reputations of being a good coach. How is that a coachable player? For lebron its his way or no way. If it wasn't for Wade, and someone powerful like Riley Spo would have gotten fired, and because Lebron disliked Blatt that rubbed off on the rest of the team, and they tuned him out. Eventually he got fired.

Also its beyond comical you think Lue is a great coach. Put Lue on the Celtics instead of Brad Stevens or on the Hawks instead of Bud and there is NO way they are as good as they are. Lue has had success solely because of Lebron nothing else.

LeBron and Spo had issues very early on, and then it was all good after that. He definitely listened and took him seriously. The funny thing is if you listen to his postgame pressers, he picked up some of Spo's mannerisms in the way he describes the game.

Blatt I can't comment on, didn't follow that situation closely. But in Miami things were fine in years 2, 3 and 4. LeBron went to Cleveland for 2 reasons, he felt the roster was ready to take off, and the massive PR boost from coming home. 2.5 if you count that he wanted more control of the franchise, but he did seem to like the professional atmosphere in Miami and tried to instill some of that with the Cavs.

There's also video of Spo actually teaching LeBron things he should have learned in the 8th grade about basketball. I remember seeing a video of Spo teaching him how to attack of the triple threat. It was unreal. They're also was speculation he was trying to get Riley to coach the team. But yeah, maybe LeBron started respecting Spo as Spo started teaching him the game.

[ProfessorJM]

So let's suppose the Warriors crush the Cavs in the finals.
Lue would most likely get fired by Lebron.

At that point, would any good coaches be willing to coach the Cavs?

Oh definitely. Many coaches have healthy egos and quite a few would think they could be the one to handle LeBron and would actually want to coach a good roster to boot.

[ProfessorJM]

From an outsider's perspective I am guessing that Spo was more about inexperience but Blatt was definitely a problem for LeBron from maybe the very beginning. I think Spo has proven after LeBron left that he is actually a very good coach and Riley made the right call with him.

[ItsThatEasy]

So exactly how many great coaches has LeBron had in comparisons to other all-time players?

Looking for a Phil or a Pop or a Riley or even a Chuck Daly.

[Smash3]

Absolutely. He didn't like Spo or Blatt, and didn't listen or take them seriously despite the fact that both are good coaches, who are classy men, and have gained reputations of being a good coach. How is that a coachable player? For lebron its his way or no way. If it wasn't for Wade, and someone powerful like Riley Spo would have gotten fired, and because Lebron disliked Blatt that rubbed off on the rest of the team, and they tuned him out. Eventually he got fired.

Also its beyond comical you think Lue is a great coach. Put Lue on the Celtics instead of Brad Stevens or on the Hawks instead of Bud and there is NO way they are as good as they are. Lue has had success solely because of Lebron nothing else.

LeBron and Spo had issues very early on, and then it was all good after that. He definitely listened and took him seriously. The funny thing is if you listen to his postgame pressers, he picked up some of Spo's mannerisms in the way he describes the game.

Blatt I can't comment on, didn't follow that situation closely. But in Miami things were fine in years 2, 3 and 4. LeBron went to Cleveland for 2 reasons, he felt the roster was ready to take off, and the massive PR boost from coming home. 2.5 if you count that he wanted more control of the franchise, but he did seem to like the professional atmosphere in Miami and tried to instill some of that with the Cavs.

There's also video of Spo actually teaching LeBron things he should have learned in the 8th grade about basketball. I remember seeing a video of Spo teaching him how to attack of the triple threat. It was unreal. They're also was speculation he was trying to get Riley to coach the team. But yeah, maybe LeBron started respecting Spo as Spo started teaching him the game.

Ever been to a spurs practice before? All the best coaches go through the fundamentals, every year before the start of the season Pop and the assistants go over the fundamentals like: the triple threat, catching, pivoting, sliding - yup the 8th grade basketball. They do that in regular practices throughout the season too. Kawhi, Manu and Parker all participate.

[iamworthy]

LeBron and Spo had issues very early on, and then it was all good after that. He definitely listened and took him seriously. The funny thing is if you listen to his postgame pressers, he picked up some of Spo's mannerisms in the way he describes the game.

Blatt I can't comment on, didn't follow that situation closely. But in Miami things were fine in years 2, 3 and 4. LeBron went to Cleveland for 2 reasons, he felt the roster was ready to take off, and the massive PR boost from coming home. 2.5 if you count that he wanted more control of the franchise, but he did seem to like the professional atmosphere in Miami and tried to instill some of that with the Cavs.

There's also video of Spo actually teaching LeBron things he should have learned in the 8th grade about basketball. I remember seeing a video of Spo teaching him how to attack of the triple threat. It was unreal. They're also was speculation he was trying to get Riley to coach the team. But yeah, maybe LeBron started respecting Spo as Spo started teaching him the game.

Ever been to a spurs practice before? All the best coaches go through the fundamentals, every year before the start of the season Pop and the assistants go over the fundamentals like: the triple threat, catching, pivoting, sliding - yup the 8th grade basketball. They do that in regular practices throughout the season too. Kawhi, Manu and Parker all participate.

I'm aware that coaches go over the fundamentals but the visual of LeBron moving the wrong foot first and Spo saying no that's wrong blew me away. He was pretty much traveling every time he was in the triple threat. But this was years ago...

[UcanUwill]

This Euroleague analyst put Blatt at #9 in Euroleague coach rankings. Messina at #2.

http://www.euroleague.net/news/i/7rryotgeqpclo46k

[IG2]

I'm aware that coaches go over the fundamentals but the visual of LeBron moving the wrong foot first and Spo saying no that's wrong blew me away. He was pretty much traveling every time he was in the triple threat. But this was years ago...

WOW, so LeBron was traveling every time he was in the triple threat for 7 years(03-10) and nobody even noticed until Spoelstra came along

[Mazter]

Well, the Bulls fired Doug Collins some 30 years ago after a very successful season. They pushed his assistant forward and the rest is history. I think great players feel or know when a coach is it or not. And if he isn't he needs to go. Doesn't mean he is a bad coach, but he just need to take it somewhere else. We can call it whatever we want, but in the end James got his ring in Cleveland, and whether Blatt would or would not have done the same is irrelevant.

[Froob]

I don't think he was a fan of Blatt though. Blatt as great of a coach as he was in Europe, he was not ready to coach at an NBA level with a title or bust type of team. He was hired before Lebron came back.

Oh come on, David Blatt ran a phenomenal system and Cleveland made the Finals that season. The idea that he "was not ready" to coach an NBA team is beyond preposterous, which was proven by the fact that he was successful during his tenure.

What more do you need?

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2016/01/why_david_blatt_got_fired_and.html


During team scrimmages, players competed aggressively but bit their tongues as Blatt frequently blew his whistle to call ticky-tack or phantom fouls for his go-to players. One player said sometimes Blatt didn't even have a whistle and would yell at the top of his lungs to stop play and call a foul if one of his stars acted as if he was hit.

Sounds like he was trying to create a real game environment .

[bmurph128]

The real question is why does realgm think LeBron takes control? Why do we make threads about him "hating" these coaches?

It's awfully presumptuous to make that statement to begin with, as none of us actually know the situation. And even then, I'm not sure LeBron had any issue with Spoelstra.

Here are my thoughts from a birds eye view:

You're LeBron James. You're a senior in high school - everyone knows you're going number 1 in the draft; everyone knows that likely means you're going to a bad team. Despite all your early fame and stardom, you have no clue what the NBA life style is like - you grew up poor, so this entire journey is going to be culture shock even though you knew you'd be a millionaire soon. You get to the NBA and you get drafted by Cleveland - a dream come true to stay close to home; and it becomes clear relatively early on that you will in fact become a great player. Things progress in Cleveland and Mike Brown becomes the head coach of the Cavs. You make yearly playoff runs and finally, after years of being the best player in the conference but going up against superior teams, it appears the Cavs have "arrived". But still the Cavs fall short.

Reflecting on these times now, we know a few things:

1. NBA stars weren't coming to play with LeBron in Cleveland as free agents
2. The players around him really weren't that good
3. No coach of LeBron has had ANY NBA success outside of having LeBron

You're LeBron - you are destined for greatness, but these issues - all FO issues - are holding you back. So you decide to take control and check number 1 and 2 off this list by going to Miami. But after 4 years there, it appeared Miami was done improving. Wade and Bosh were basically done, and Miami would need a serious overhaul to continue competing. I don't know this for sure, but I think he and Riley became adversaries at this point. Upon LeBron's return to Cleveland, I think number 3 became apparent.

LeBron takes so much flak because of how great he is. But the reality is, I could coach a LeBron led team to the playoffs. Head coaches separate themselves later in the playoffs, and LeBron has never had a great one. If throughout your career, ownership at your job could never find you a capable boss, wouldn't you want to step in and help?

For that LeBron catches a lot of heat on here...which probably just stems from some dislike that you harbor for LeBron and would harbor regardless of how he acted

[Jody Smokz]

What do some fans want from Lebron at this point? Like seriously?

[bmurph128]

So exactly how many great coaches has LeBron had in comparisons to other all-time players?

Looking for a Phil or a Pop or a Riley or even a Chuck Daly.

And that, IMO, is what this boils down to.

Not a single head coach of LeBron has ever had any NBA success outside of coaching LeBron.

[Pennebaker]

This is something I don't know too much back story about, but why did Lebron James dislike Erik Spoelstra and David Blatt so much? He clearly has gained a reputation for not being a very coachable player in the sense that he doesn't like to take direction from coaches, but what happened with these two?
He clearly didn't like Spo despite Spo being a fine coach, but in Miami Wade and more so Pat Riley put their foot down so Lebron just had to suck it up.
In Cleveland that wasn't the case. James put his foot down and out David Blatt went. Blatt and Spo are better coaches than Tyron Lue, but you don't see Lebron clashing with Lue ever.
So why did he hate those 2 coaches so much? Both guys seem like very respectful, classy coaches who have had success.

He didn't dislike Spo. They had a very good relationship after some early differences in 2011. They were both on the same page with regards to style of play, analytics, and LeBron's greatness. There was no issue there. The bigger issue with the Heat was LeBron vs Riley.

Blatt was visibly afraid of LeBron - intimidated by him - and so naturally LeBron didn't respect him. Griffin saw in Blatt what LeBron saw and replaced him with Lue, who he knew LeBron already respected because Lue isn't afraid to put James in his place as they already had a very close relationship.