Ranking the best available NBA head coaching candidates

SAN ANTONIO, TX - APRIL 02: Head coach Jay Wright of the Villanova Wildcats celebrates after the 2018 NCAA Men's Final Four National Championship game against the Michigan Wolverines at the Alamodome on April 2, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) /

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ISTANBUL, TURKEY – APRIL 13: David Blatt, Head Coach of Darussafaka Istanbulin action during the 7DAYS EuroCup Basketball Finals game two between Darussafaka Istanbul v Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar at Vokswagen Arena on April 13, 2018 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Rodolfo Molina/EB via Getty Images) /

4. David Blatt

It’s fair to point out that David Blatt’s time with the Cavaliers wasn’t pretty. It’s also fair to remind you that Blatt wasn’t hired to coach a team ready to win an NBA title led by LeBron James. When the Cavaliers first decided to bring Blatt to the United States it was with the idea that he’d help a young team develop over time.

Former Cavs’ GM David Griffin has openly admitted that the team would have waited to hire a coach in 2014 if they actually thought LeBron James was returning to Ohio.

If you knew that LeBron James was going to come back, would you have waited to hire a coach in 2014?

David Griffin (@dg_riff): “Oh, 100 percent. Sure. We didn’t believe for a second LeBron was coming back at that point.”

The Woj Pod: https://t.co/uFYHZH6HmC pic.twitter.com/1TTczw0GbV
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 5, 2018

That’s all in the past now. NBA teams should be focusing on what Blatt can do for them as opposed to what he didn’t do in Cleveland. His brief time with the Cavaliers doesn’t change the fact that he’s one of the world’s most accomplished head basketball coaches.

His international experience could prove invaluable to a team that’s looking to blend players from different countries together into a cohesive unit. That’s something Blatt has done for his entire career.

Blatt isn’t the right choice for a team with big egos, but he could help teach a young nucleus what it means to be a professional team. Teams in the lottery should give Blatt a long look.

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