According to European basketball reporter David Pick, David Blatt has once again found employment as a head coach (and deservedly so):
Source: Ex-Cavaliers coach David Blatt finalizing deal with Darussafaka for Europe return.
— David Pick (@IAmDPick) May 31, 2016
The former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach, who was fired in January, is reportedly close to signing on for around $2 million a year, a figure more or less akin to lowest salary for an NBA head coach. Apparently the Knicks, Rockets, Kings and Timberwolves (before the club hired Tom Thibodeau in April), along with other European teams, were all considering signing on Blatt.
Blatt’s firing from the Cavs mid-season, not six months after leading the club to within two games of the NBA title, was a bit jarring, even controversial. Blatt, 57, is an accomplished coach who knows the European game, claiming the Euroleague title with Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2014. And while this is fantastic news for Blatt’s career (and wallet), the timing also has some bite: On Thursday, his former team is heading back to the NBA Finals, looking stronger than ever.
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Jonathan Zalman is a writer and teacher based in Brooklyn.
