Cleveland Cavaliers Hate John Beilein
According to an article in The Athletic, Cavs players are unhappy with Beilein and are starting to tune him out. They have "drowned out his voice" and do not like his college style of coaching. I can't say I'm surprised, but this is still sad to hear.
There are some damning quotes from players in this article as well.
“Our assistants are definitely more prepared for the NBA.”
"For instance, all of the team’s screens, cuts, and pivots are named after wild animals. A curl is a “polar bear” in Beilein’s system. 'You don’t go pro to do that kind of thing,”' one league source said."
"It’s already gotten to the point where players are looking past Beilein to his lead assistant, J.B. Bickerstaff, for guidance, those sources said."
"His players quickly grew frustrated with him for a number of reasons, all centered around the basic charge that he was not prepared for the speed, tempo, and rigor of NBA games and the schedule at large."
Full Article ($$$): https://theathletic.com/1438785/2019/12/06/guys-drowned-out-his-voice-cavaliers-players-unhappy-with-the-college-coaching-style-of-john-beilein/
December 6th, 2019 at 3:41 PM ^
Great comment M-GO! The film session comment really sums up why I, and probably a good chunk of us on this blog, dont care at all about the NBA. You are a professional ball player, you have busted your ass to get to where you are, and you cant take some tough comments from YOUR COACH?! Pathetic
Love JB, hope it works in the league, but IMO it will be tough.
He will always be loved here
December 6th, 2019 at 1:23 PM ^
Not shocked at all.
Love him for what he did for this program. Still am very irritated that he left. He could have had the damn Crisler Center renamed after him.
I get the recruiting sucks. But man, he had it made here. I still do not get it.
December 6th, 2019 at 1:24 PM ^
Maybe they can work this out over subs.
December 6th, 2019 at 1:25 PM ^
So Pro's are pissed about the word "Polar Bear".....Apparently, the NBA hates Polar Bears, along with Freedom.
December 6th, 2019 at 1:25 PM ^
I'm rooting for him and glad he is getting a whole bunch of Dan Gilbert's money. The NBA game is so different from college. I prefer college so much more. I hope he adjusts and finds success.
December 6th, 2019 at 1:25 PM ^
"His players quickly grew frustrated with him for a number of reasons, all centered around the basic charge that he was not prepared for the speed, tempo, and rigor of NBA games and the schedule at large."
Judging by their 5-15 record, neither are the players.
December 6th, 2019 at 2:17 PM ^
The NBA season might as well be 20 games long.
Barring injury, the 5 or so teams with the best record right now are going to be the ones that have a legit shot at the title in May.
There are no NBA Cinderella stories where a basement dwelling team catches fire the 2nd half and rides it to a title like the Blues did with the Stanley Cup. Or where a team gets in on a wild card and come together in the playoffs to make a run like in the NFL.
December 6th, 2019 at 1:26 PM ^
TBH I'd have been surprised if the reaction to Beilein was any different. While I can understand his alleged frustrations with what the college game has turned into, his decision to turn to the NBA as though it would be more satisfying experience will always strike me as bizarre.
If he were a different kind of person I could almost envision it was a cynical ploy to get a big contract in the knowledge he'd soon get fired so he could retire permanently with a big wad of cash without having to work any more, but that doesn't square with the Beilein we were familiar with.
He could have retired at Michigan as a coaching hero and probably get some part of the basketball facility named after him eventually. I guess that wasn't enough.
December 6th, 2019 at 1:34 PM ^
cynical ploy to get a big contract in the knowledge he'd soon get fired so he could retire permanently with a big wad of cash without having to work any more,
This was my first thought when he left.
I think he looked at that as the worst case scenario. If all else fails, at least he made a bundle at the end. I'm pretty sure he wanted to at least give it the old college try, so to speak.
December 6th, 2019 at 1:30 PM ^
Fuck -- and I can't stress this enough -- John Beilein.
December 6th, 2019 at 1:37 PM ^
how can you possibly justify saying that about one of the best, most honorable coaches in all of college sports? what did he do, run over your dog?
December 6th, 2019 at 1:58 PM ^
I’m really sorry that John Beilein raped and murdered your entire family in front of you. I’m here for you if you need to talk.
December 6th, 2019 at 2:09 PM ^
If Beilein did that, he had a damn good reason to do it. Dude has integrity...
December 6th, 2019 at 2:23 PM ^
i mean, the guy led his team off a crashed jet into the B10 tournament champion. in practice uniforms.
December 6th, 2019 at 2:33 PM ^
That’s what this country is lacking. ‘Tegridy.
That’s why I use Tegridy Farms.
December 6th, 2019 at 2:49 PM ^
Ridiculous. The man coached here 12 years - that's a long tenure. And he won everything short of a national title.
December 6th, 2019 at 1:30 PM ^
I don’t think his departure was that strange or mysterious. Say you’re going to retire in 3-4 years, and you’re an honest person who isn’t going to lie to recruits. You can either stay and watch the program suffer, or you can give it a try in the NBA to satisfy a curiosity on whether your approach works at that level. So he screws up Cleveland for a couple of years, there’s no lasting damage and he’s rich.
December 6th, 2019 at 1:45 PM ^
This actually makes a lot of sense.
While the way he left felt like he was leaving us in the lurch, it can be even worse when a coach overstays his welcome or is known to be on the verge of retiring. Makes recruiting difficult, makes it challenging to retain assistants, etc.
December 6th, 2019 at 2:36 PM ^
Dantonio.
i agree. I like this theory the most.
December 6th, 2019 at 1:31 PM ^
When the team sucks and you’re expected to lose every time you step on the court it’s easy to get frustrated and start pointing figures and laying blame. Unfortunately for JB it’s all part of what he signed up for.
December 6th, 2019 at 1:53 PM ^
Agreed. When things aren't going well, which was going to be the case for this team, the finger pointing and excuse making starts. Most of the Cavs players barely belong in the NBA themselves so I take these comments with a grain of salt when they're saying the same about their coach.
December 6th, 2019 at 1:31 PM ^
He went from having to coach one Jordan Poole to coaching a dozen.
I totally get why he went to the NBA, but I will never understand why he chose *Cleveland*, an absolutely hopeless rebuild situation.
December 6th, 2019 at 1:33 PM ^
Thanks for posting OP, I was wondering how Beilein is doing in Cleveland. I figured it would be a tough year for him.
December 6th, 2019 at 1:33 PM ^
I’m sure the feeling is mutual.
Who didn’t see this coming from a mile away? It’s been shown repeatedly that the NBA is a players league and that most veterans are going to tire of the high intensity rah rah teaching style of college coaches in short order. Billy Donovan, Tim Floyd, Mike Montgomery, Fred Hoiberg, Rick Pitino, John Calipari, PJ Carlesimo, Jerry Tarkanian............The league is absolutely littered with the bodies of successful college coaches.
Not counting Larry Brown, who is some kind of basketball savant who can successfully jump between any level it seems, Brad Stevens is the only big time pure college coach in recent memory to successfully make the transition to the pros.
Maybe Beilein was confident he could beat the odds and be a real success in the pros. Or maybe he just wanted a crack at the NBA, and it’s paycheck, for the hell of it before he hangs it up for good. Whatever his motivations though, it’s clear that he’s not going to be joining Brad Stevens in that exclusive club.
Say what you want about guys like Tom Izzo, Roy Williams, Jim Boeheim and Mick Krilzonski, at least they understood their strengths and weaknesses enough to resist the NBA’s siren song.
December 6th, 2019 at 4:13 PM ^
I think his time with Team USA showed Coach K could have absolutely made that jump.
December 6th, 2019 at 7:40 PM ^
If he had a team with some good players on it, probably.
There’s way he could take over a team like the trash fire the Cavs are and have been successful.
December 6th, 2019 at 1:35 PM ^
Color me dubious. I have not read or heard anything negative from any players about Beilein in the Cleveland media. He is sorting through a hodgepodge of players to figure out what works, and it isn’t hard to imagine one or more veterans who have not gotten much playing time are the source of these complaints. And anyone who thinks Gilbert wanted to hire Beilein to get him away from Michigan has apparently forgotten he tried to hire Izzo a few years back.
December 6th, 2019 at 1:35 PM ^
I'm not surprised that the NBA players do not like Beilein. He is a great coach and pays attention to detail. He probably makes them work harder than they want to work both on the court and in the film room. The NBA is a star driven league full of ego and attitudes. It's probably the worst of the professional sports as far as that goes.
December 6th, 2019 at 1:41 PM ^
If the Juwan Howard era wasn't off to a rosy start this news would really piss me off. Now I just feel bad for coach B.
December 6th, 2019 at 1:44 PM ^
Indeed, the Howard era smells like a Rose right now. I feel like a King. I am going to fire up the Webber grill and...um...Jackson.
December 6th, 2019 at 2:13 PM ^
So close...
December 6th, 2019 at 2:20 PM ^
B+ for effort.
December 6th, 2019 at 1:42 PM ^
If this is true, then those Cavs players are professional only in the sense that they are getting paid--not in the sense of having the character and ability to do the job right regardless.
December 6th, 2019 at 1:44 PM ^
He got paid, so good for him. One last big check before he retires, I'd do the same thing.
December 6th, 2019 at 1:44 PM ^
Sucks, but you knew it was coming.
I feel for Beilein because all he wants to do is coach basketball at the highest level, on a level and ethical playing field.
Outside shot though that Beilein is able to build that team through the draft and a couple trades over the next 2-3 years, if given the chance. Very few recognize talent, and how to use it, as well as Coach Beilein.
December 6th, 2019 at 1:46 PM ^
I'm a Beilein fan but this is also why his players chose to leave for the NBA asap.
December 6th, 2019 at 1:48 PM ^
Can you elaborate? They didn't like the wild animals thing? They didn't think he was ready for an NBA schedule? Seriously, what was the issue?
December 6th, 2019 at 1:53 PM ^
I assume he means that they left because JB was such a nag. But maybe they went pro because they liked getting paid to play basketball and not have to go to class. Just an idea.
December 6th, 2019 at 2:01 PM ^
Not a nag but sounds like he's very controlling. Players appreciate what they learn from him but can only take so much and, yes, getting paid begins to sound more and more appealing.
December 6th, 2019 at 3:41 PM ^
Controlling = Tom Izzo, crap he calls every play from the bench.
Yet his players often stay too long - see Nick Ward, Xavier Tillman and others.
I don't see JB the same way. I think he rubbed some players the wrong way but most left when they should have.
December 6th, 2019 at 1:48 PM ^
I wonder if Beilein's dedication to his "system" becomes somewhat of a straight-jacket for some players. Hearing the comments of some current Michigan players under Howard seems to indicate they welcome the opportunity to improvise and be more creative than under Beilein. Interesting that Beilein seems to be bringing his "college style" to the pros while Howard is doing just the opposite - bringing a more open and creative style to Michigan.
December 6th, 2019 at 1:54 PM ^
Gilbert hired the wrong Michigan man.
December 6th, 2019 at 2:16 PM ^
You bite that tongue right now!!!
I love Beilein, and will always remember him as the greatest Michigan bball coach I've ever seen. But he left, so we have a new coach. And this new coach deserves a shot!
December 6th, 2019 at 1:55 PM ^
Always love when a cast of losers rejects change. This is the same as the Lions. Oh the vets don't like running hills. If you have been a perennial loser but are unwilling to change I think it says more about the players than it does about the coach in this situation.
We are 4-17 but our coach sucks because he pays too much attention to the details. These players are laughable.
December 6th, 2019 at 3:39 PM ^
Yes. I don't follow Cavs or NBA in general but what have they done without LeBron James? They're lucky to even have John Beilein. Maybe the players should pay attention to whatever he's saying.
December 6th, 2019 at 1:57 PM ^
NBA players don't want to be coached.
December 6th, 2019 at 1:57 PM ^
I don't watch much NBA, so I'm no expert, but it seems to me that there will probably be a bunch of roster turnover in Cleveland. If your scrubs aren't buying in, you get rid of them for replacements. Cleveland has a bunch of scrubs. The question is whether anyone who's more or less stuck on the roster for salary or other reasons is willing to buy in. You get one or two vets on your side and it makes your job a lot easier.
Anyone -- players, fans, whoever -- giving up on John Beilein after 20 games is an idiot.
December 6th, 2019 at 2:56 PM ^
Uh, first of all you can’t just “get rid” of players on an NBA roster. This isn’t the NFL. NBA players have guaranteed contracts and there are major salary cap implications. You need to find another team willing to take your crap players off your hands if you want to dump while they’re under contract.
Even if you can dump them, finding talented players to bring isn’t exactly the easiest task. Again this isn’t the NFL where you can find quality players with a particular skill set to fit your scheme if you look hard enough. You need legit all star caliber players, as well as some quality supporting cast, if you’re going to be a legit contender. Those kinds of guys generally aren’t just laying around to be claimed off the waiver wire or practice squads.
Doesn’t matter if it’s John Beilein or Gregg Popovich. You have a roster of sub par players, no coach is going to be able to elevate them with his game planning strategies.
December 6th, 2019 at 4:10 PM ^
the whole point of hiring JB was the fact the cavs have a very young roster. and i would think they will continue to get rid of the holdovers from the title team. i would think their hope is that JB can mold these young players into his style and coach them up.