On Sunday, the Cavs fired the only head coach in franchise history who guided the team to an NBA title. On Monday, the Browns fired a coach who was…just a bit less successful. Now, the two Cleveland sports team who are in season are without coaches, and each organization finds itself at a crossroads. The guys discuss what went wrong for Hue Jackson and Ty Lue, how attractive the Browns job is, what exactly the Cavs are trying to do this year, and what traits both teams should be prioritizing when making their next coaching hires.
Baffling coaching decisions, blown defensive assignments, bad shooting and a battered jaw for one LeBron James have left the Cavs halfway to getting swept in the Eastern Conference Finals. With the next two games at The Q, the Wine & Gold aren't completely in dire straits just yet. Still, it’s been ugly so far. The guys discuss Ty Lue’s decision to ride with JR Smith over Kyle Korver in the starting lineup, the struggles of the newer members of the roster, the “organizational fatigue” plaguing everyone who has been around for the long haul, and the weight of trying to fight back in a series knowing what would await in the Finals (and *not* knowing what awaits this summer).
A lot of fans figured the Eastern Conference playoffs would be more challenging for the Cavs this season than in recent years, but few could have predicted a full-fledged fight in the first round. Nevertheless, the Indiana Pacers are giving the Cavs all they can handle through four games. The guys welcome their old pal Mark Meszoros back to the show to discuss the burden LeBron is carrying, Ty Lue’s strange rotations and inexplicable fascination with Jeff Green, the revival of JR Smith—both as a scorer and as a defender on Indiana’s Victor Oladipo—and the challenge of getting Kevin Love going.
