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Report: Cavs players played songs with 'thug' in lyrics to needle Beilein

Jason Miller / Getty Images Sport / Getty

With John Beilein apparently on his way out as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, reports paint the picture of a dysfunctional locker room during his 54-game stewardship.

Following a January incident in which Beilein referred to players in a film session as "thugs," several members of the team began playing songs that featured the word while the coach was in earshot, sources told The Athletic's Shams Charania.

Tracks reportedly included Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's "Thuggish Ruggish Bone," Tupac's "Thugz Mansion," and Trick Daddy's "I'm a Thug."

For his part, Beilein later said he misspoke and was trying to use the word "slugs." That didn't sit well with one anonymous Cavs player, who told Charania: "The worst part to me was not owning that he said it."

Beilein is reportedly set to part ways with the Cavaliers on Wednesday, with assistant J.B. Bickerstaff in line to assume head coaching duties. Beilein is forgoing more than $12 million left on his contract to do so, according to Charania.

The 66-year-old Beilein was a surprise hire by the rebuilding Cavs last summer after spending his entire coaching career in the college ranks - including a 12-year tenure at Michigan in which he reached the 2018 national championship game.

"He was a dictator - not a coach suited for today’s NBA," a source told Charania.

Veteran Kevin Love's post-shootaround outburst at general manager Koby Altman in January included a tirade about Beilein's age, Charania reports. After center Andre Drummond was acquired from the Pistons at the trade deadline, he reportedly told his new teammates the situation was worse in Cleveland than in Detroit.

The Cavaliers are 33-103 since LeBron James departed in the summer of 2018.

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