INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Both knees wrapped in ice, LeBron James walked in a circle, waiting for his turn to speak with a larger-than-usual news media contingent.
First, though, it was the new coach Tyronn Lue’s turn to address the developments of the previous 24 hours in Cleveland.
Halfway through a championship-or-bust season, the Cavaliers fired Coach David Blatt on Friday, though he had taken the team to the N.B.A. finals last season and guided them into first place in the Eastern Conference this season. James said that he had been surprised by the bold move but that he supported General Manager David Griffin’s rationale for it.