By Lefteris Moutis/ moutis@eurohoops.net
He was the prime candidate for the bench of CSKA Moscow even before the Final Four, but David Blatt decided to take his chances in the NBA. After winning the triple crown with Maccabi Tel Aviv he announced in a press conference that he is leaving Europe.
To be exact, Maccabi’s long time president Simon Mizrahi was the one to say it first: “David and I met today and he told me that he has decided to leave for the NBA”. Coach Blatt explained his decision: “I’m leaving a home, not a family. I feel that this is the right thing for me to do. I’m not leaving Maccabi for a bigger contract. I’m not necessarily leaving for a better place. I’m leaving to follow my dream. It was my dream since I was a child in Boston. NBA is the only challenge I have left, that I didn’t try. I feel that this is the best time for me to leave. I was offered to stay but I decided to take this step. The truth is that I don’t know yet where I am going. Surprisingly, most of the rumors linking me to NBA teams were true”.
Blatt is candidate for being the top assistant of rookie coach Steve Kerr in Golden State and denied he has received an offer to be head coach in Cleveland. Guy Goodes, the assistant of David Blatt, is expected to be the next head coach of Maccabi.