Beilein, Cavs Nearing Divorce

The former Mountaineer coach could be fired within the next few days

Photo by Ben Spurlock-USA Today Sports

After a surprising leap from the college ranks to the NBA, former West Virginia and Michigan head coach John Beilein could be parting ways with the Cleveland Cavaliers, per ESPN's Brian Windhorst. 

Beilein hasn't even been on the job for a full year and his future with the team is already in doubt. The Cavaliers are off to a 14-40 start this season and have pretty much all but locked up a spot for a lottery pick.

The transition from college to the professional level is easy for some, such as Brad Stevens leaving Butler for the Boston Celtics. For others, that transition is just not the same. As a college coach, you are able to coach more and have more say so in what goes on during the game and the players will listen to what the coach has to say. In the NBA, they're all getting paid and are more or less, calling the plays themselves on occasion.  NBA coaches are more like baseball managers. They don't really need to "coach" the players during the game, they just need to manage the lineups and rotations. This can be extremely hard for some college coaches to adapt to, especially for those like Beilein who was a head coach at the collegiate level for 27 years.

According to Windhorst's report, the Cavaliers and Beilein have taken time over the NBA All-Star break to discuss potentially parting ways. It appears that a decision could be made within the next few days and if he is relieved of his duties, expect some major college programs to be giving him a call. 

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