LeBron: 'Who am I to say' if Blatt gets championship ring
The fact the Cleveland Cavaliers organization gave former head coach David Blatt an NBA championship ring is none of the concern of four-time league Most Valuable Player LeBron James.
"That's an organizational thing and if that's what they wanted to do then we're all for it," James said following Cleveland's 117-102 preseason win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, according to Cleveland.com's Joe Vardon.
"Who am I to say who can or can't get a ring?"
Blatt coached the Cavaliers for the first 41 games of the 2015-16 campaign, leading the team to a 30-11 record and first place in the Eastern Conference. He was eventually replaced by former assistant Tyronn Lue, who coached Cleveland to its first title in franchise history by overcoming a 3-1 series deficit in the Finals to the Golden State Warriors.
General manager David Griffin said he couldn't leave "an unprecedented team payroll to chance," and that not capturing a championship would be considered a failure, which necessitated the coaching change.
It was widely believed at the time that James played a part in Blatt's dismissal, even though he vehemently denied such rumors. Blatt was hired as coach prior to James leaving the Miami Heat to return to Cleveland.
Although his tenure with the organization ended on poor terms, Blatt was more than happy to accept a ring for his role in the team's run to the Larry O'Brien Trophy, and appreciated that they presented it to him in a respectful manner.
He currently coaches Darussafaka S.K. in the Turkish Basketball Super League.
Nearly 1,000 employees of the Cavaliers and Quicken Loans Arena will also receive rings.