John Beilein was recently ousted as the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers in a move that is shocking to absolutely nobody, Beilein included. His hiring raised a few eyebrows at first due to his stature as a phenomenal college coach. Beilein had very little experience coaching the pros and it was clear from the start that the players weren't really messing with him. Perhaps the most egregious part of Beilein's tenure was when he reportedly referred to the players as thugs.
In a report from Shams Charania, Joe Vardon, and Jason Lloyd of The Athletic, it was revealed that Cavaliers players made light of Beilein's "thugs" gaffe by playing music in the locker room which explicitly said the word "thug." On a team bus ride, one player put on Trick Daddy's "I'm A Thug" with Beilein just a few feet away. Clearly, the players were having fun at their coach's expense.
This recent report was interesting as it detailed how Beilein was thought of as a dictator of sorts. He liked to micromanage the team and players were starting to get fed up with how things were being run. With JB Bickerstaff taking over, it seems like the Cavs are in much better hands moving forward.
