Seems like JB is going to become coach again by default. The Michigan guy can go ahead and just wait till he gets fired and collect them checks while fishing. Cavs are idiots.
They probably should trade away the veterans if they are trying to rebuild, I can only imagine they are the ones leading the charge to tune out the new coach.
Players upset about nitpicking over fundamentals or long film studies does nothing for their cause. Your a professional getting paid millions and its not like you're a superstar yet. Be solid fundamentally. Study. THAT SAID... I'm not sure what "failure to understand the NBA game" means? I mean, how hard is it to see the differences? It's not that complicated, imo. But if its true... then clearly that's a problem. However, reading between the lines, I read "failure to understand the NBA game" in conjunction with their b****ing, as basically "we're not in college anymore, we're grown men, you don't have to stay on top of us about the little things, etc, etc."
John Beilein apologizes to Cavs, says he meant to call players 'slugs,' not 'thugs' After stunning his players in a film session Wednesday with a verbal suggestion that they were no longer playing "like a bunch of thugs," Cleveland Cavaliers coach John Beilein later reached out to players individually to insist he instead meant to use the word "slugs." Delivering the term thugs to a group of largely young African American men carries obvious racial connotations, and Beilein acknowledged to ESPN in a telephone conversation Wednesday night that he understood that. Beilein was wrapping up what had been an off-day film session in Detroit and a hush fell over the room when his players and staff heard the words come out of his mouth, sources said. The Cavaliers players left the room initially stunned and were increasingly disturbed as they dispersed out of the meeting, league sources said. Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman was alerted to the issue in the aftermath of the meeting and reached out to Beilein for clarification later Wednesday. Soon after, Beilein said he started to contact his players individually to clarify his words and meaning. "I didn't realize that I had said the word 'thugs,' but my staff told me later I did and so I must have said it," Beilein told ESPN on Wednesday night. "I meant to say slugs, as in slow-moving. We weren't playing hard before, and now we were playing harder. I meant it as a compliment. That's what I was trying to say. I've already talked to eight of my players tonight, and they are telling me that they understand." Altman was in the process of gathering details and context on the team film session Wednesday night, sources told ESPN. Beilein held the film session at a Detroit hotel on Wednesday and largely derided his players for poor decision-making and execution, sources said. The Cavaliers play the Pistons on Thursday in Detroit. After signing a five-year contract, Beilein, 66, has been slow to connect with his players and adjust to the NBA in his first year on the job. Beilein has been on the receiving end of significant frustration from All-Star forward Kevin Love and, in some cases, several of the younger core of players whom Beilein had been hired to teach and develop. The Cavaliers are 10-27, and they are planning to continue making veteran players available on the trade market to cycle into a full rebuilding mode. Cleveland hired Beilein from the University of Michigan, his final stop in a college coaching career that spanned over 40 years.
I believe he said what he meant. Maybe I'm cynical, but thug and slug are not two words that are synonymous nor easily confused or inserted for one another in dialogue. Now if I were a player and I chose to buy into the obvious attempt here at damage control as he attempted to walk back what he said, it would still burn in the back of my mind that although he meant to say slug, he did in fact say thug and that this is what he really thinks of us. A case of a Freudian slip revealing his true feelings. I would imagine it would be hard to buy in and play for a guy that you think doesn't value you. Not sure how they salvage this to be honest. This will be interesting to watch how this plays out, especially considering the length of this contract. Kind of hard to walk away from a guy you've made this kind of commitment to, but I feel like he's most likely lost this locker room as currently constructed. Definite change will need to be made one way or the other.
It's 2020. Everything is offensive. But honestly, "thug" doesn't carry the same connotation in the 80s/90s as it does, today.
And the pussification of society continues... overall who gives a crap. He called them thugs, big effing deal
Despite what you may think, this is a big deal. I love how people argue so vehemently that people of a different ethnicity shouldn't be offended by certain things. Like telling Native Americans that they shouldn't be offended by "Indian" mascots and names like Redskins. Perhaps I can't totally relate because I'm not Native American, but I am empathetic and acknowledge that if a large group of them find these things offensive to them as a people and their culture, then perhaps they are and it isn't my place or right to tell them it's not that big of a deal.
Yep, Thugs can be a guy of any race. I know some white kids that are straight up thugs. I guess not in 2020.
Yeah it is considered offensive now. It was somewhat acceptable maybe 5-10 years ago but what is and isn't consider offensive changes over time. A head coach needs to be aware of what is and isn't acceptable. John Beilein knows basketball very well....... he understands the game and preparation involved. However, he is 65 years old and is coaching extremely wealthy young men in their early 20's that have almost nothing in common with him. Beilen's parents were apple pickers and a carpenter in an undeveloped part of NY state. He was the age of his players in 1975. An older coach can work if he has been an NBA coach for a long time and has changed and adapted over time and is the type of person to try and adapt and stay relevant with the times.
Thug has been used for a long time as a slur. It just isn't smart to say it. Times change........ not that long ago I remember old people saying "colored people" or "orientals". 35 years ago people said negro and it offended the younger generation. What is appropriate changes........ and someone that is in a position of power or influence should keep up and be sensitive. It isn't easy, I find myself needing to keep up with the changing world, but we have to.
