In perhaps one of the most stunning turn of events in recent sports memory, former Michigan Wolverines head coach John Beilein‘s decision to try his hand in the NBA was nothing short of a complete disaster, leading him to step down not even one full year into a five year contract.
There were many factors behind his ill-fated tenure with the Cleveland Cavaliers, among them being a young roster along with different coaching methods that many believed wouldn’t work at the NBA level.
Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton joined Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes on his podcast “Posted Up” to discuss Beilein’s time with the Cavaliers, starting with his decision to step down.
“It was very unexpected,” Sexton said. “We were just on All-Star break and I just talked to coach two days before and he said pretty much we’re going to finish the season strong…and when we got back, we were like…dang, he’s gone. It was tough because it’s been my fourth coach in two years. When it’s like that, you don’t know what’s going to happen. But now we have Coach JB and he’s been amazing for us.”
Of course, one of the biggest issues during Beilein’s tenure in Cleveland was his alleged misstatement in using the word “thugs” to describe his team during a film session. Did it have a big effect on the team?
“I wouldn’t say so, we all forgive him,” Sexton said. “Everyone makes mistakes, everyone says things they wish they could take back. We forgave him and we just moved on. We didn’t think about it too much. Hey, he’s our coach, so we were behind him 100 percent.”
– – Quotes via Nick Kosko of 247Sports Link – –
