John Beilein and Cleveland Did Not Work

I know that I have talked a ton about John Beilein on this site ever since he shockingly took the Cavs job last summer, but I have to talk about him yet again. Look, I made it very, very clear that I didn’t think he would make it the full five years of his contract, but for him to resign fifty-four games into the first season of his contract, during All Star break, is as shocking as him taking the job.

The Cavs job is clearly a wasteland. Hell, they fired a coach that took them to the Finals in his first season. They have had, I believe, six coaches in the past seven seasons. If I’m being totally honest, I don’t know who the coach was before Beilein took this job in the summer. In fact, besides David Blatt and Tyron Lue, I cannot name one other coach except for Beilein. But, this seemed like a good hire got them at the time, and man did it deteriorate much faster than anyone expected.

When Beilein was hired there was support all over the place. Apparently Cleveland did their homework and found a guy that is good at rebuilds. He was also considered a guy that could coax the best out of guys that may not be the greatest. I even thought they would give him time to build the roster his way. Then a bunch of wild stuff happened. His son resigned from Niagara University before coaching a single game. The Cavs, as expected, started very, very slow. In fact, they sit at 14-40 as I write this today. Then we have Kevin Love throwing fits during games. Look no further than him yelling at Collin Sexton to pass, getting the pass, chucking the ball at Cedi Osmann and then yelling at the whole team right before halftime. We also have Tristan Thompson coming to Beilein’s defense after the Love thing, then one night later, the two of them are caught on camera yelling at each other. Then we have anonymous players questioning his tactics to media and teammates. Then we have the “slugs/thugs” thing. Then we have a report a few days ago claiming that Beilein was “miserable”. And then the reports came out during All Star weekend that the two sides were coming to a decision for him to resign. Oh, and in the midst of all of this they kept Love and Thompson during the trade deadline, and inexplicably traded for Andre Drummond, who I am a fan of, he just doesn’t fit on this god awful Cavs team. Then yesterday Beilen announced he was stepping down.

This, I guess, was doomed from the start. Some guys aren’t pro head coaches. They don’t have the mindset. They’re used to being the judge, juror and executioner. They are the end all be all. Beilein was used to this way. He coached college for, pretty much, his entire career. Then, in his mid 60’s, he decides its time to try the NBA. I don’t fault him, but his ways are not conducive to professional basketball players. He’s too rah rah, too focused on fundamentals, too entrenched in getting time to develop. That doesn’t happen in the NBA for many reasons. Kevin Love doesn’t need to work on passing and rebounding. He’s already proven he can do that. Collin Sexton and Darius Garland are way too young, and have never been told that they need work. Cedi Osman is a vet, why would he listen to a career college coach. Andre Drummond is an All Star and a great low post guy. Why would he want to sit around and watch game tape for hours on end? And that Cavs front office is a total mess. They’ve proven multiple times that, sans LeBron, they’re a garbage NBA team. It has happened twice now.

I’m sure Beilein will have his pick of college jobs, some that may not even be open yet. I’ve already heard that schools like Indiana, Northwestern and Vanderbilt, all with coaches, are interested. But this NBA experiment has been an unmitigated disaster, and it will be one thing that’s always mentioned now. I mean, he couldn’t even get through one season. That is rough stuff. This is one of the predictions I got right that I wished I would be wrong. I’m still a little stunned he already gave up.

What a rough, downer half a season for Beilein. This is a stain on an otherwise stainless coaching career.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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Can John Beilein and the Cleveland Cavaliers Really Work?

This past NBA offseason, myself and a lot of other people were kind of stunned when John Beilein left Michigan to take the Cleveland Cavaliers head coaching job. He had a good group of players coming back, Michigan was a perennial top 20 and NCAA tournament team, and after flirting with the NBA the season before, he said something along the lines of wanting to retire at Michigan. So, for him to leave, and to choose Cleveland, as I said, it was a stunner. I’m happy with how things have turned out for Michigan. They got Juwan Howard, and they’ve already beaten 2 top 10 opponents in their first 10 games. Also, Howard seems like he’s going to be a great recruiter.

Back to Beilein though. When he left, I wrote a whole thing about how I’m rooting for him, and, after a few days to think about it, kind of understanding why he took the job and how I didn’t think it would go so well. But, I didn’t see it turning this bad this fast.

Recently some of his players, who I think were anonymous, called out his coaching, his tactics and kind of said, this isn’t college anymore. They seemed to be irritated with his play calling, and what he named his plays. Now some players have come out and said they don’t agree, and think he’s going to be a good coach, but when this stuff leaks, and it’s coming from reputable sources, I feel like the damage is done. I kind of fall on both sides of this argument. I get why some of the players on the team may not be so into Beilein’s approach as a head coach. In college, you’re the top dog. The players come to your school to play for you. You have all the power. In the pros, the coach is simply a figure head, picked because someone in the front office thinks they can manage talent. That’s not John Beilein’s strength. He was known for getting under the radar players to excel in college. Now, he’s coaching former champs, former all stars and lottery picks chosen to be franchise players. These guys are making much much more money than him, they have way more pull and they’re more essential. No one is going to Cavs games to watch John Beilein coach. They want to see Kevin Love, Darius Garland and Colin Sexton fly up and down the floor and figure the game out. So I can see why some of the current players may not be so down with watching film for hours, working on fundamentals and practicing as much as Beilein may want them to. I may not agree, but I can understand them tuning him out. Especially the veterans, mainly Kevin Love who just wants out, doing so.

I also find myself sympathetic towards Beilein. Look, he was chosen to coach this team because they’re so young and need to be taught the game. Any NBA fan knew going into this year that the Cavs were going to be one of the worst teams in the league. They are too young to be a real threat. Their best veteran is Love, and as I said, he has one foot out the door already. This team needs to run plays, be re taught fundamentals, have sets they can go to in times of need. They need an adult in the room, and Beilein proved to be one in college. He also proved to be a damn good coach with less than ideal recruits. He turned guys like Trey Burke and Nik Stauskas into lottery picks. He helped Mitch McGary and Glenn Robinson III get drafted. Hell, he had two guys get picked in the most recent draft. He can develop talent, he just needs time. So, for some to call him out after only 21 or 22 games, chill out. Give him time. If you take his coaching, it may benefit you in the long run. If he is given time, I could see the Cavs winning 30 plus games as early as next season.

So, while I don’t like that Beilein thinks he can use a college coaches mentality in the NBA, I still think he needs more time to be truly judged as an NBA coach. We will see if the Cavs brass gives him the time needed, or if they side with the players sooner rather than later.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. It’s also Ty’s birthday today. The best basketball writer in all the internets never takes a day off.

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Why John Beilein, Why

A lot of stuff happened over the weekend in sports and movies and TV. But the story I awoke to this morning takes precedence over all the other stuff I want to write about.

I was resting in my bed, my son was playing video games, my daughter was sleeping and my wife left for work when the news buzzed across my phone. John Beilein, the head basketball coach at Michigan for the last 12 years, was leaving to become the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

I didn't believe it at first. I thought it might have been a joke, or a wrongly reported story. I thought maybe the people got the name wrong. After he flirted with the Pistons last year, I assumed that he was going to stick in college for the rest of his career. But, after doing a good amount of research, I found out that it was true. Whenever you see Woj has reported the story, when it comes to NBA news, you know it's true. Beilein then went on Twitter to confirm the news himself.

I was stunned. I took this a lot harder than I thought I was going to. I think it hit me so hard because I did not see this coming, at all. Every year I have to hear about how overrated a football coach Jim Harbaugh is, but that this NFL team or that NFL team was going to lure him away from Michigan. Harbaugh has been there for five years now, and after every season, he is mentioned in open NFL head coaching jobs. It is something I have come to expect. But John Beilein has been a staple.

Beilein came to this team 12 years ago, when they were in the toilet, and he has built them up to a perennial Big Ten power. He has led them to tons of Sweet Sixteen's. He has been to 2 Final Fours and 2 title games. He has gone to the NCAA tourney in 9 of his 12 years. He turned guys like Trey Burke, Nik Stauskas, Mo Wagner and Mitch McGary into first round NBA picks. He helped Glenn Robinson III to the NBA. He has been able to replace top notch point guards year after year. He has added great assistants every year. He has adjusted his teams to fit their strengths. They were all offense when he first got there, then they had super athletes, then they became a deadly three point shooting team, then he made his big men become stretch 5's, and this past season, he helped turn them into a defensive powerhouse. And they looked to be pretty solid heading into the 2019-20 season.

And then this news appeared this morning.

As I said, I have read a ton of stuff since hearing the news, and I still am a bit shook. I heard that he is leaving because he doesn't like the state of college basketball recruiting. He is not a fan of the "one and done" culture. I get that. I mean, Iggy Brazdeikes is good, but he is not NBA ready. But, he has decided to test the waters. He is also losing Jordan Poole because Poole had a few good games and some GM's said he could be a pick. I love Jordan Poole, but I do not think he is even close to being ready for the NBA. And even earlier in his career, guys like Nik Stauskas and Mitch McGary and Glenn Robinson III and Daruis Morris all left much earlier than they should have. This is a problem with college basketball. I get that. But, he is going to have to deal with guys that make much more money than him, and if he doesn't produce soon, he will be gone.

Which leads me to another thing I read. He chose the Cavs because he will be able to rebuild. Sure, that sounds nice, but like I just said, how patient will that fan base be if they don't get the number one pick this year, and win 20 games over the next three years? That will not be fun. The 76ers fired a ton of coaches during the process era. The Lakers are on their third coach in 5 years because that fan base is hungry for wins. The Knicks have gone through a ton of coaches because they can't, or aren't willing to try, to win games. This could very well happen to Beilein. Cleveland is not a good team. They have one solid player in Colin Sexton, and nothing much else. I know Kevin Love is there, but he is only getting older, and he is always injured. I also think they are going to trade him. I like Cedi Osman, but he is still a work in progress. Tristan Thompson is a bum. Matthew Dellavedova is a scrub. I mean, this roster is rough. And if they don't get Zion Williamson, they will be probably take someone like RJ Barrett or Cam Reddish. Those guys are the definition of a project. I don't know if Beilein wants to take on that task.

The one thing I heard that has me not questioning his move was Beilein wants to try at the highest level. That actually makes sense. He is 66 years old, making him the third oldest coach in the NBA now. If he was going to try, now is the best, and possibly only, chance he has. When this contract is up, if he makes it all the way through, he will be 71, and, I'd assume, ready to retire. This is the only reason I, right now, will accept as to why he took this job.

I'm still stunned. I am upset because I adored him as the Michigan basketball coach. He made them a power again. He restored this team. They have been far superior to the football team for some time now. They have won big games. They have played on big stages. They did everything, minus a national title, that any fan would want to see. And now he is leaving to coach the Cavs. I just cannot wrap my head around that. I get the lure of the NBA, but if he really wanted to go, why not take the Pistons or Magic job that he interviewed for last year? They were both playoff teams with solid rosters this year. I just do not get the choice to take the Cavs job. He could've stayed at Michigan and been poised for another deep tourney run this year. He had some good recruits coming in. He had a great core returning. Now he gets to coach the remains of a team LeBron left in shambles a year ago.

I really do wish John Beilein nothing but the best, I always want to see former Wolverines shine at the highest level. I'm trying to not be so skeptical and cynical. But, this move is bizarre. This team is bad and he, if he doesn't show improvement very soon, will not finish out this contract. I've watched enough NBA to know that the Cavs front office is volatile, and while they like you today, they may hate you in a month, especially if you don't win games. I'm upset and bummed, but I hope John Beilein succeeds. I don't think he will, but I'm rooting for him.

What a bummer of a day to be a Michigan basketball fan. I'm curious to see who they hire next because it will set the tone for awhile. They don't necessarily need to make a "splash" hire. But, they need to make a very, very solid hire. I want to keep believing in this team like I did when Beilein was hired, and after what he has done for 12 seasons.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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John Beilein is Staying at Michigan. That is Great News

Yesterday John Beilein confirmed that he is returning to coach the university of Michigan men's basketball team. Today he even said that he wants to finish his coaching career at Michigan. All of this comes about a week after he was made the odds on favorite to land the open Detroit Pistons head coaching job. I had very mixed emotions about all of this.

First off, I am not a Pistons fan, but I do not have the same visceral hatred for them as I do the LA Clippers. I am very indifferent when it comes to the Pistons. But, I know that there were many, many fans in Detroit that were very shook up by this news. They have love for Beilein, but I also think they thought that he would have been a good choice for the Pistons. It had to be hard for them to choose between their love for their pro team and their college team. I get it in the college sense, but as I said, I don't really care either way about the Pistons.

I was also feeling very odd about the news because it isn't Michigan's basketball coach that is always rumored to be going to the pros, it is their football coach. Every year since Jim Harbaugh has taken over Michigan's football team, some journalist or talking head has said that he will be leaving for the NFL. This has been going on for four years now. I'm used to the rumors, and to be quite frank, I always expect him to bolt. But, for John Beilein to be the one that was going to jump to the pros, it kind of shook me.

Coach Beilein has done wonders at Michigan. When he took over around 11 years ago, that team was a mess. They were still reeling from the Fab Five and Robert Traylor sanctions, and they were at the bottom of the Big Ten. Since then, they have slowly crept their way to, at least, being in the top half of the Big Ten, ranked in the top 25 every year and pretty much always an NCAA tournament team. He has also taken Michigan to 2 Final Four's and 2 title games. He has done all of this with, mostly, guys that were under recruited in high school. Yes, he pulled in some big time guys, Mitch McGary, Glenn Robinson III and Tim Hardaway Jr all come to mind. But, he has done most of his damage with the less heralded recruits. Trey Burke was Mr. Ohio basketball, but not even the University of Ohio State would recruit him. They said they didn't have space for him. And look at what Burke did in his 3 years at Michigan. He led them to a national title appearance, won NCAA player of the year, hit that spectacular shot against KU and was a lottery pick. I give Burke most of the credit, but it was Beilein's system and coaching that really made him a great college player. There is also a guy like Nik Stauskas. No one knew much of this scrawny kid out of Canada. But, he came to Michigan, became a lethal three point shooter and he also became a lottery pick. Again, I give a ton of credit to Beilein for doing that. Or take someone like Jordan Morgan, Beilein's first real big man. For those that know, Beilein likes to run a space and pace offense with shooters everywhere, and one big guy to rebound. Well, Morgan could rebound and defend, but he also became a very capable scorer under Beilein's tutelage. He now has a successful career overseas. And we have guys like Darius Morris, who was kind of a big time recruit, came to Michigan, struggled his freshman year, learned the offense, had a great sophomore year and turned that into a pro career. Manny Harris is another guy that thrived under Beilein.

I then look at the team from last year. After the plane crash, then going on to win the Big Ten tournament, and make a run to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA tournament. That was amazing, and he did it with very unheralded recruits. Zak Irvin was a big time contributor on that team. Mo Wagner was still learning the college game. DJ Wilson blossomed in the tournament. Muhammed Ali Abdur Rahkmann was still figuring it out. And Derrick Walton, I don't think I have ever trusted a player with a coach's system since the Fab Five guys, as I did with Walton and Beilein's system. Walton Jr was incredible at running the super intricate plays that Beilein puts in there, and they had a great run.

Then we have last season. After Walton Jr and Irvin graduated, and DJ Wilson declared for the draft, I did not expect much from Michigan. I figured they would be a tournament team, and maybe make it to the second round, but that was it. But, with Wagner finally playing well and Abdur Rahkmann easily stepping into the Derrick Walton role, and Zavier Simpson doing great things and Jon Teske being a great back up center, and all those freshman, Isiah Livers and Jordan Poole come to mind, this team pushed all the way to the title game. Yes, they got throttled, but they made it there, and I give all the credit in the world to John Beilein for that. He turned these 3 and 4 star guys into a great team. Michigan doesn't need the "one and done" guys with Beilein there. He will develop guys.

So, that was why I was a little shook when he was interviewing for the Pistons job, and then especially when everyone thought he was going to get it. He just feels like a college coach to me. He is where he belongs. And hey, I would have not blamed him for one second of he took the Pistons job. I fully understand wanting to compete at the highest level to see if you can hack it. I have heard numerous people say it, and it is very true, there are only 30 head coaching jobs in the NBA, so if someone wants you, you must be doing something right. He has earned the right to have his choice. But boy am I glad he stayed at Michigan. I truly do hope he stays there for the rest of his career because he has made me care about their basketball team once again. I still love their football team with all of my heart, when it comes to sports, but I am starting to get there with the basketball program too. That is all due to John Beilein.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on all the internet.

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Michigan Wolverine Basketball is Not Getting Better Anytime Soon

What Ty looks like watching Wolverine Basketball

After getting absolutely annihilated by Illinois last night, this Michigan basketball season, which started with so much promise, is beginning to look pretty dire. At the start of the season I thought that they would be a mid level team in the Big Ten. I figured they'd win the games they were supposed to, lose the games they were supposed to and maybe have a few surprise victories as well. I thought they would definitely make the NCAA tournament and hover right around 20 wins. I figured they would look a lot like last years team, only a bit better.

That was how the season started. They looked really good early on. They were making shots. Zak Irvin looked fully healthy, and he was hitting his mid range shots and three pointers. Derrick Walton was running the offense efficiently. Duncan Robinson was a sniper off the bench. Muhammad Ali Abdur Rahkman was slashing and getting to the rim with ease. Even their big men, Mark Donnal, Moe Wagner and DJ Wilson, were getting big rebounds, playing solid defense and hitting the occasional jumper.

But, something happened right before Big Ten play. Their first loss came to South Carolina. South Carolina absolutely suffocated them on defense, and Michigan could do nothing. They were also giving up easy dribble drives, and leaving guys wide open from three. I thought, no big deal, they weren't going undefeated, they will fix this. In the next game, against a nobody team, they did just that, and throttled whoever they played by almost 20 points. Then, they traveled to UCLA, who was the number 2 team in the country at the time. UCLA was coming off a big win at Kentucky, and they looked legit. I was nervous about this game being a blowout. But, Michigan played a great first half, matching everything that UCLA did. I even had hopes that maybe they could pull the upset. The second half came, Michigan had their lapses that they showed against South Carolina, and UCLA ended up pulling away with relative ease. Michigan still scored 90 plus points, but they gave up over 100. That is unacceptable in college basketball.

The Wolverines lost that game, then they lose their Big Ten opener on the road to Iowa, in overtime. They had a lead, but they couldn't close the game out, and they were letting guys shoot wide open threes, like the South Carolina game again. Still looking for their first Big Ten win, they were 10-3. Not bad, but not great. Their first Big Ten win came against Penn State. PSU is not a good basketball team. Sure, they have beaten Michigan State this year, but MSU is one of the most inconsistent teams in all of college basketball. But, During the PSU game, I did not like what I saw from Michigan. Again, they were just letting guys get into the lane with little to no resistance. PSU must have had, at least, 5 wide open layups. Then, when they would clog the paint, they would leave shooters wide open for threes. It was very frustrating. PSU built a 13 point lead in the second half, but as I said, they are not a good basketball team, and Michigan made enough plays to eek out a win.

I did not feel good after this win. I hated the way they were playing basketball. The defense was non existent. They were playing way too much one on one. Irvin kept jacking threes, even though his shot was wildly off from deep that night. Derrick Walton inexplicably chose to not shoot unless it was crucial, or at the end of the shot clock. The big men did nothing. No rebounding, poor interior defense and dumb shots from all 3 of them. Duncan Robinson looked scared on the court that night. It was the first time he looked like a division 3 transfer. Something just didn't sit right with me.

They then played Maryland. Maryland was also struggling a bit coming into this game. But, Michigan just did not play well. They kept the game close all the way to the end, but they just did not have enough gas in the tank. Whenever Michigan would cut the lead to 2 or 3, Maryland would rattle off 4 or 5 straight points and build there lead back to 8 or 9. And normally I'd say that they were making lucky shots, but when no one is guarding you that close, those are easy shots to make. They also let Maryland have their way in the post. This seems to be a recurring theme this year. They can't figure out a way to stop you inside, or if they do, they leave shooters wide open at the three point line.

Last night's game, at Illinois, was a disaster. Michigan played hard for about 18 minutes, then Illinois blew the doors off of them. What was once a 2 point lead for Michigan ballooned to 13 for Illinois at halftime. It was the same story. They stopped Illinois inside, but let shooters shot with no defense. They also just stopped making shots as well. Michigan looked so bad last night, it made me a little sad. Illinois ended up winning by 17 points, but it was not even that close.

This is the same team that, 4 years ago, was playing for a national title. Sure, the players have changed, and they might not be as good as Nik Stauskas, Glenn Robinson III or Mitch McGary were, but they should not have a drop off this bad. Hell, the year after their run to the title game, they were in the Elite Eight. They were even in the tournament last year and won a game. Something is not right at Michigan right now. These are John Beilein guys, and I love John Beilein, but they are not doing wwhat they need to be doing on either end of the floor. Where we sit right now, they are 11-6 and 1-3 in conference play. Things are not going to get any easier for them as well.

As much as it pains me to say it, I think Michigan may be one of the worst teams in the Big Ten this year. They play no defense, they can't rebound, they aren't making their shots and they play too tight. The majority of this team is seniors, so hopefully they will wake up and realize that this is it for them, but watching them right now, I do not see that happening. Things seem to be getting worse before they get better. Hopefully they can prove me wrong, but with the way they are playing right now, I do not see that happening. Not only are they not going to make the NCAA tournament, I would not be surprised if they got left out of the NIT.

John Beilein needs to coach these kids up some more. These are his type of players, and I blame a lot of what is going on right now on him and his staff. Shore this mess up or else enjoy your vacation at the end of the regular season because if this play continues, I guarantee you will not be playing in any postseason tournaments.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. His love for Michigan does not make him blind to rec league levels of basketball playing. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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