Once again, LeBron James is left to defend head coach David Blatt. The head coach's first year in the NBA has not exactly been easy, but then again he took over a very tough situation. After the Cavaliers acquired both James and Kevin Love, success was expected immediately and yet did not come right away. AS a result, Blatt was blamed and after questions regarding his play calling have now come under fire, James is taking full blame.
James told ESPN.com that the only reason Blatt continues to fall to criticism is because he is coaching the former MVP. Blatt came very close to blowing Game 4 of the second round of the NBA playoffs when he nearly called a timeout the Cavaliers did not have. Instead, James hit a buzzer-beater to win the game and tie the series. After the game, James told the media, "He's catching heat because he's coaching me, that's all that is."
James might be on to something. Love has also faced a lot of heat this season due to his inability to fit into the Big 3 with James and Irving. This caused James to defend the forward saying that in situations like this, someone has to take the heat and it became Love. As a result, Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting Love is ready to hit free agency and not look back.
Love's future is simply unknown. The forward has maintained his desire to return to Cleveland outside of testing the market in free agency. His season-ending shoulder injury certainly gives him plenty of time to think things over. In the meantime, Tristan Thompson has been excelling in his place and earning himself a nice pay raise in the offseason. Set to become a restricted free agent, the Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting the Cavaliers are hopeful to re-sign Thompson, but it could depend on what Love decides to do.
In the meantime, the Cavaliers are in a heated battle with the Chicago Bulls as Game 5 tips off on Tuesday. Kyrie Irving is dealing with tendinitis while James has an ankle sprain. Iman Shumpert is also complaining of a hip issue. The Cavaliers are certainly banged up, but hopeful they have the right momentum to win.
