Cleveland Cavaliers rumors 2016: LeBron James not a factor in David Blatt firing

David Blatt Wikimedia Commons/Erik Drost

Another Cleveland Cavaliers head coach was sacked in the middle of the season as David Blatt was relieved last Friday despite the team having the best record in the Eastern Conference. 

Blatt took over the Cavaliers last season and helped the team reach the National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals as a rookie head coach in the league, but failed to win it all. 

This season was another chance for Blatt to guide the team to the NBA Finals and capture the elusive title. 

But even before Blatt could do that, Cleveland decided to part ways with him, a decision many believe was influenced by franchise star LeBron James. 

However, James denied that he was part of the decision to let go of Blatt and said he knew about it the same way any other player on the team did. 

"That's not my concern," the 30-year-old former Most Valuable Player (MVP) said, according to ESPN

"I found out about it just like every other player on this team at 3:30 yesterday," James added. 

The two-time NBA champion also said he should not be affected of what other people are thinking, adding that he has done that a long time ago, and is focused on helping his teammates prepare to play "better basketball."

Replacing Blatt for the Cavaliers is former assistant Tyronn Lue, who is a two-time NBA champion as a player and was an assistant coach in the league since 2009. 

Unfortunately for James, Lue, and the Cavs, they lost their first game without Blatt, falling to Eastern Conference rivals the Chicago Bulls last Saturday at home.

The defeat gave Cleveland a 30–12 record, still enough for it to keep the top spot in the East. 

Next for the Cavaliers is the second game of a three-game home stand as they host the Minnesota Timberwolves today, Monday.

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