When the Cleveland Cavaliers fired David Blatt on Jan. 22, it did so with Blatt’s team leading the Eastern Conference with a 30–11 record and fresh off a season where he led an injury-depleted squad all the way to the NBA Finals.
And that was his only full season as head coach.
It’s the latest in a long line of head-scratching moves for a once-downtrodden franchise that’s been given every chance to succeed since LeBron James—the number one overall pick of the 2003 draft—originally left the team via free agency following the 2010 season.
Since that time the Cavaliers have won the NBA draft lottery an incredible three times before watching the four-time MVP suddenly return as a free agent in 2014.
Sounds like a recipe for a juggernaut right? Well, maybe not.
Of course any team James—who’s played in the NBA Finals five straight seasons—plays for these days is an instant title contender, but the Cavs didn’t exactly max their potential with three No. 1 overall picks in that four-year span.
In 2011, following their first season without James, the Cavaliers took Kyrie Irving with the first overall pick and then Tristan Thompson three picks later—not bad picks. Maybe Kawhi Leonard (15th overall) and Jimmy Butler (30th) were better selections but it’s hard to argue with those two.
The next draft wasn’t so kind though.
