Blatt won't criticize LeBron: 'Thank goodness I get a chance to coach that guy'

LeBron James is criticizing LeBron James, but Cleveland Cavaliers head coach David Blatt isn't about to join that party. 

Blatt spoke about LeBron's "I stink" comments Monday before Cleveland hosted the Orlando Magic, and praised his and the league's marquee player.

"LeBron James is the greatest player that I've ever coached and I've ever seen," Blatt said, according to cleveland.com's Joe Vardon. "Every day I wake up and I say thank goodness I get a chance to coach that guy. And I say to myself every day that I got to do a better job coaching that guy and help him be everything that he is." 

The Cavaliers head into Monday night carrying a disappointing 5-7 record and a four-game losing streak. 

Blatt agreed with LeBron on one point: the Cavs are a fragile group, as evidenced by their Saturday night breakdown against the Toronto Raptors at home, when they squandered a huge first-quarter lead. 

Blatt, 55, is in his first season as head coach of an NBA team. He's one of the most successful coaches in European basketball history, and joined the Cavaliers this year after spending four years with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel.