The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking to make one move at the trade deadline and names like Brook Lopez, Brandan Wright, Samuel Dalembert, Timofey Mozgov or Kosta Koufos could be targets and this comes as David Blatt reportedly is having issues "reaching" the Cavs and that could be a major concern for LeBron James and the front office as the season moves forward.
The Cavaliers have been up and down to start the season and now there are reports that head coach David Blatt may be in some trouble, as he has not been able to "reach the team". ESPN reporters Brian Windhorst and Marc Stein are usually on the pulse of all things NBA, especially with James and the Cavaliers and they report that Blatt may be having some issues getting a response from players on the floor. This comes after the team lost at home to the Detroit Pistons, one of the worst teams in the league, marking one of the worst home losses for any LeBron James team.
Before the season many questioned whether Blatt could handle the Cavs, as he had never been a head coach in the NBA before. Blatt was hired before James made his decision to come back to Cleveland, but he expressed confidence in the head coach at the time. That confidence may be eroding, as the team has had numerous issues on defense overall and while Blatt worked with Maccabi Tel-Aviv, his lack of NBA experience is clearly becoming an problem.
The report says that owner Dan Gilbert has been unafraid to make coaching changes when needed and that could come up again soon. Blatt admitted that the team lost "energy" and "competiveness" in the game against the Pistons and that could be seen as an indictment from the players on the coach and his style of running the team. Stein and Windhorst are usually right on in their reporting and while the Cavs may not make a coaching change now, it could be something that happens down the line.
Adding to that, if the team doesn't make a coaching change, they could look at making a trade to try and turn things around defensively by the deadline. The team had made no secret about adding a defensive big man to help up front and that was before Anderson Varejao was injured for the season. The team has looked at a number of players and now they could be even more motivated to make a move, with players like Tristan Thompson or Dion Waiters as potential targets.
Brook Lopez has been shopped by the Nets, while names like Brandan Wright, Samuel Dalembert or Mozgov could be targets. The Cavs have checked in on Wright, as Pro Basketball Talk reports that the Celtics and Cleveland have looked into potential three team deals after Boston traded Rajon Rondo. ESPN.com also reports that some players on the team have felt more comfortable talking with assistant Tyronn Lue rather than Blatt. The article also details James saying that he has made decisions on making plays and calling plays without asking Blatt, something that isn't a total surprise, but could be a window into how the players feel overall about Blatt and his game planning.
