After interviewing for several NBA jobs since he was fired as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers in January, David Blatt reportedly will return to his overseas roots.
Blatt is finalizing a deal to coach the Turkish pro team Darussafaka, according to multiple reports.
Blatt, 57, was fired at midseason despite leading the Cavaliers to the best record in the Eastern Conference a year after he took the team to the NBA Finals in his first season. Expectations were so high with LeBron James back in Cleveland, however, that he became the coach with the highest winning percentage in NBA history (.675) to get fired.
Blatt was 30-11 this season and 83-40 overall with the Cavs. Cleveland went on to finish 27-14 under his replacement, Tyronn Lue, and will be back in the NBA Finals starting Thursday against the Golden State Warriors.
Blatt was born in Boston and played college basketball in Princeton, but his professional playing and coaching career were spent in Europe until the Cavaliers hired him just before signing James two summers ago. He is a four-time Israeli League Coach of the Year and won the 2014 Euroleague championship and Coach of the Year award in his last season before moving to the NBA. His name was linked to interviews with the Rockets, Kings and Knicks this offseason.
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