- John Beilein resigned as the Cleveland Cavaliers coach earlier this week.
- Beilein was a class act as he spoke to Cavs players before leaving and refused to blame the Cleveland front office.
- NBA legend Charles Barkley put the Cavaliers on blast, describing them as “ridiculous and unprofessional.”
As a Charles Barkley fan, it’s no shock that I agree 100 percent with his view on how the Cleveland Cavaliers treated former coach John Beilein.
John Beilein Wasn’t an NBA-Level Coach, but He Deserved Far Better
Beilein is better suited as an NCAA basketball coach. But the players could have done far more to help the situation
And I’m not alone in that view.
Charles Barkley addressed the situation on TNT’s Inside the NBA this week, commenting:
I want to call out the Cleveland Cavaliers. I thought what they did to coach Beilein was ridiculous, unprofessional. I think the veterans on that team were not leaders. I think the young guys on that team who can’t play think they are better than they are, and they tried to get that man fired. They got that man fired … I’m so disgusted by those players trying to get that man fired.
Barkley doesn’t hold back, and he’s speaking nothing but the truth.
Charles Barkley Isn’t Buying What the Cavs Are Trying to Sell
Cavs players had been making noise about coach Beilein being too hard on them during practice and forcing them to watch too much game tape.
God forbid these guys are kept from their video games and iPhones and have to focus on their job. Maybe I could understand their complaints if they were successful.
But the Cleveland Cavaliers have been terrible this year.
Barkley continued throwing truth bombs, saying:
John Beilein is a hell of a coach, and I think he’s a good guy. But for those players to complain about ‘We’re practicing too hard, we’re watching too much film,’ because they stink. Because they stink. I just didn’t think that was fair. When a coach is wrong, I’m going to call him out. When players are wrong, I’m going to call them out. I’m disgusted by what the Cavaliers did to coach Beilein.
Ouch.
To Barkley’s Dismay, John Beilein Left on Cordial Terms
John Beilein left the Cavaliers on good terms. He didn’t bash the organization or the players. Charles Barkley thinks he should’ve have gone out swinging:
He should have went out saying, ‘Y’all a bunch of damn losers, I’m glad to get the hell out of here.’
Regardless of how Beilein left, it’s apparent that there’s a big problem in the Cavaliers organization, one that yet another coaching change won’t fix.
With the old-fashioned, out-of-touch coach gone, who are the players going to blame now? Luckily, they still have one more scapegoat before they have to look directly at themselves.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of CCN.com.
This article was edited by Aaron Weaver, Gerelyn Terzo.
