Here's What I'm Thinking...The John Beilein Situation
John Beilein is the best coach in the history of Michigan basketball, which is why it rocked so many people when he announced he'd be leaving the program in order to become the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers last May.
Fast forward just a little more than eight months and Beilein is reportedly at the end of his rope.
At Michigan, Beilein went 278-150 over the course of 12 seasons. In just over half a season at the helm in Cleveland, Beilein is just 14-40, good for dead last in the Eastern Conference.
The Cavs don't have a lot of talent to speak of but Beilein has been a pretty bad fit almost from day one. He reportedly lost his guys early by making them do too many fundamental drills and never seemed to connect with his players. Couple that with the fact that he used the term "thugs" in a film session not long ago, by accident or not, and he simply is not respected as the head man in Cleveland or by many around the league. He did have a lot of people defending his character in a public forum after the "thugs" incident, but it was becoming clear he was not getting the job done as a head coach.
I have to admit I'm pretty surprised by this. Beilein has been so successful every where he's been that I just assumed it would continue in the NBA. I didn't think it would be right away with a team like the Cavs, but I did think he'd get it going. In a league dominated by offense, I thought Beilein's mind would shine. He's also shown a knack for bringing along young, underdeveloped players, which describes a lot of the guys on the Cavaliers roster.
Beilein signed a five-year deal with the Cavs and I thought he'd get some time to get it figured out, and I thought he would get it figured out. He's too good of a coach to not have some success. I definitely didn't see this kind of fall from grace and certainly didn't think he'd be removed before finishing a single season.
As for his future, I don't think he'll ever be at Michigan in any sort of coaching role. Could he return as an ambassador of the program or in some administrative fashion? I could see it. But at 67 years old and having dealt with some health issues while at Michigan, this might simply be the time to ride off into the sunset. It's a pretty big bummer that Beilein's career could end like this because he was so good and so beloved in Ann Arbor.
What do you think of Beilein's decision to leave Michigan now? What do you think he'll do in the future? Comment below!!!
