Cleveland Cavaliers management and players accepted coach John Beilein’s apology over his word choice in a film session and he will keep his job, according to multiple reports Thursday.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Wednesday night that Beilein called his players “thugs” during a meeting at the team hotel in Detroit. Beilein said he had intended to say the team was “no longer playing like a bunch of slugs,” intending to compliment his squad for playing faster in recent games.
Per Wojnarowski, the players became increasingly “disturbed” after the meeting.
General manager Koby Altman delayed a scouting trip and instead flew to Detroit to meet with the players Thursday morning, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reported, adding that Altman had discussed the situation with chairman Dan Gilbert.
“The plan is to move forward with Beilein as head coach, and players said they were willing to do that today,” Fedor tweeted.
Wojnarowski reported Thursday that Beilein, 66, met with the team before the shootaround in Detroit and issued “an emotional apology.”
Beilein’s first season in Cleveland after more than four decades of coaching in college has been rocky on the court, with veteran Kevin Love showing frustration toward teammates and the sideline — even reportedly incurring a $1,000 fine for an outburst on the bench during a loss at Toronto on New Year’s Eve.
The Cavaliers are coming off a hard-fought 115-113 home loss Tuesday to the Pistons, Cleveland’s fifth straight loss following a strong 4-1 stretch. The Cavaliers complete the home-and-home series with the Pistons in Detroit on Thursday.