David Blatt, from waaaaay downtown, takes a shot at the struggling Cavs

Henry Bushnell
·Senior soccer reporter
David Blatt is now the coach of Darussafaka in Turkey. (Getty)
David Blatt is now the coach of Darussafaka in Turkey. (Getty)

Casual NBA fans probably thought they’d heard the last of David Blatt when the Cleveland Cavaliers fired him in 2016. Ty Lue replaced him, won an NBA title, and all was well.

Alas, that’s no longer the case. All is not well in the ‘Land. And Cavs fans most certainly have not heard the last of Blatt.

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The Israeli-American, now coaching in Turkey, pulled up from distance on Sunday and took a shot at the Cavs’ porous defense:

Blatt, the head coach of Darussafaka in the Turkish Super League, was interviewed before the Turkish all-star game. He was in charge of Team Europe. “I don’t think we are going to have any problem scoring,” he told NTV Sport, per Eurohoops.net. “I am just wondering, are we going to defend anybody. I hope we don’t give up as many points as the Cavaliers gave up last night.”

The best part might be the cheeky, mischievous smile after the punchline.

To be fair to Blatt, he has largely refrained from disparaging or criticizing the Cavs since his departure. He drifted off quietly to Europe, leaving his beef stateside. But it appears he did bring a bit with him.

And to be fair to him, the Cavs defense is indeed atrocious. The performance Blatt referenced was a 148-124 loss to the Thunder.

Ironically, his team gave up 151 in the all-star game. But if the Cavs are using all-star games as their defensive measuring stick, that’s probably not a great sign. They’ve lost five of six, and, as always, seem to be living out a soap opera.