3 teams that could hire David Blatt
The Cleveland Cavaliers stunned the basketball world Friday when they announced the firing of David Blatt as head coach and replaced him with former assistant Tyronn Lue.
Blatt is reportedly interested in staying in the NBA, despite having coached in Europe for 20 years, and the 56-year-old is likely to garner a lot of attention given his impressive record (83-40) over his first two seasons in the league.
Here are three teams Blatt could land with:
Brooklyn Nets
The Nets are in the process of hiring a new bench boss after firing Lionel Hollins earlier this month. Tony Brown currently serves as the team's interim coach.
Blatt has strong Russian ties after leading the men's international team to a gold medal at FIBA EuroBasket 2007 and a bronze at the 2012 Olympics, meaning he likely has the attention of Russian billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov.
Prokhorov reportedly didn't mesh well with Hollins, and will be looking to avoid a similar situation.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota's current interim head coach, Sam Mitchell, has done little to prove his worth as a competent bench boss, leading a young but talented Timberwolves team to a 13-31 record.
Mitchell is often criticized for his disdain for 3-pointers, with Minnesota ranking last in the league in attempts, and 28th in percentage. By contrast, Cleveland is fifth and eighth in both categories, respectively, showing Blatt has the ability to jolt the Timberwolves' 24th-ranked offense.
The team is also led in part by Andrew Wiggins, the player Blatt thought he signed up to coach when he took the Cavaliers' coaching gig in June 2014.
Los Angeles Lakers
Byron Scott is undoubtedly on the hot seat in Los Angeles, winning less than 25 percent of his games with the Lakers. Scott has been a firm supporter of Kobe Bryant despite the Lakers legend's struggles, and could be gone after the "Black Mamba" retires.
The Lakers have a long history of success, and would likely be willing to outbid several smaller-market teams, if Blatt waits until the summer to sign.
Cleveland has posted a top five offense over the past two seasons, and although they're much more talented than the Lakers, it's fair to assume Blatt could boost Los Angeles' 29th-ranked squad.