1:06pm: Cleveland plans to have Beilein coach tonight’s game and stick with him going forward, Wojnarowski tweets. The coach met with Altman and gave an emotional apology to the team before today’s shootaround. Altman got a sense of how accepting the players were of the apology, Woj adds (via Twitter).
9:15am: The Cavaliers‘ season hasn’t exactly gone smoothly so far, and a comment made this week by head coach John Beilein didn’t help matters. Addressing players during a recent film session, Beilein said the team was no longer playing “like a bunch of thugs.” The coach acknowledged the misstep, claiming that he meant to say “slugs,” as in the team was playing too slow.
“I didn’t realize that I had said the word ‘thugs,’ but my staff told me later I did and so I must have said it,” Beilein told Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com. “I meant to say slugs, as in slow-moving. We weren’t playing hard before, and now we were playing harder. I meant it as a compliment. That’s what I was trying to say. I’ve already talked to eight of my players tonight, and they are telling me that they understand.”
Multiple players declined to comment when Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reached out for comment, though he hears that feedback this morning was that the team is “OK.” Players understand the coach’s explanation and feel comfortable moving forward. Some players weren’t even aware that Beilein made the comments initially.
In addition to players, Beilein has also spoken to GM Koby Altman on the matter. Beilein, who spent over 40 years coaching in the college ranks, signed a five-year contract to be Cleveland’s coach this offseason. A report in December suggested that his coaching style was alienating some of the Cavs’ players.
The Cavs are 10-27 on the season and many of their veterans are available on the trade market, Woj notes.
People say thugs when mean to say slugs all the time, right?
Nope.. only when you hire a 66 year old coach with zero experience. They would have been better off keeping Lue or bringing back Blatt
And thus.. the Cavalier organization once against proves it is what we all thought it was… Lebron should have NEVER left Miami… he thought he could turn the Cavs in the Cleveland Heat.. that’s why he’s in LA now. That team needs to be sold to someone competent ASAP.
again*
He did get a ring in Cleveland, but will he get another in LA?
Blown. Out. Of. Proportion.
Clearly meant that his black and white players were being lazy and undisciplined.
Had nothing to do with what people are reaching for and trying to turn it in to.
When did people decide that “thugs” was a racial slur? Its most common use was to describe gangsters in the 1920s and 30s. It has absolutely nothing to do with race. Only violent criminals.
There’s definitely no other cases where a word’s meaning changed between the 1920s and now.
Okay, that’s true. Out of the 100 million words in the English language, perhaps a handful have changed meanings. By all means, let’s just assume every word should be treated that way.
Besides, the meaning of the word is exactly the same now as then. The only difference is the way some people have started interpreting it. Sometimes correctly, most of the time incorrectly. I’m not going to say that that word is not used by some hate groups, but that doesn’t mean they own the word or that is the only use of the word. That would just be silly.
Nonsense.
It’s actually an old Indian word. India the country, not the original inhabitants of America
Thats what Love thought anyway. Also the unseen Windler lol.
We will likely hear more on the racial aspect of this, but whether cocoon-ed up NBA players have much of a socio/language grievance, IDK. Some may feel obliged to complain but the players probably just wanted to know what the gameplan was.
I agree with the regular definition but I am not among the aggrieved. Racially.
Well he would never have meant a bunch of duds. That would be uncoachlike.
What’s up wabbit: a bunch of Fudds?
Thugs is more of an odd choice of words than an issue of race.
It would never occur to me to call basketball player that due to a lack of performance—-maybe lazy, undisciplined, G-Leaguers, bums—but then again I’m much younger than Beilein so maybe it’s just a thing people said back in the day?
Either way, the Cavs have much bigger issues than the words coming out of their coach’s mouth.
BTW, the Cavs are not known to be very physical, or to try to get away with things, except maybe KLove leaning in to get the call on a shot. But that’s kind of opposite of thugly.
A fan might wish they were more like thugs!
Yikes did I say that? lol
I’m sorry this is wrongly funny to me, like ADavis’ injury.
We all mistakes. If these punks can’t accept a genuine apology…then screw them.
Omg you used the word punks! Someone, somewhere probably got their feelings hurt so you should be labeled a punk hater and have some right of yours taken away. Don’t you realize you live in a sensitive country????
Beilein’s main problem is not use of words, it is his attempt to compete with Boylen for dumbest most out of touch coach of the year. He should go back to coaching college players who do not expect to be treated with respect like men (and I am not referring to the thugs comment). Beilein appears to simply have a very poor understanding of how NBA teams operate and how veteran players can see through b.s. pretty quickly. Thus, the Boylen comparison.
Aka the patients run the asylum