As impressive a coaching portfolio as Blatt created overseas in places like Russia and Israel, there was never a chance it would provide him with the leverage or credibility to avoid becoming the scapegoat with the Cavaliers, even after getting to two victories away from the title last June without two of the team’s best three players and despite winning 30 of 41 games this season with a still-battered roster.

Yes, it has long been established that foreign-born players can thrive here, in an N.B.A. of opulence and opportunity. But what about European-trained coaches? We checked in with Maurizio Gherardini, a longtime Italian league general manager who worked in the Toronto Raptors’ front office as an assistant general manager for seven years before taking over the Turkish power Fenerbahce Ulker.

“I’ve been privileged enough in my years at Benetton Treviso to work with three N.B.A.-to-become coaches — Mike D’Antoni, David Blatt and Ettore Messina,” he said. “The commitment by an N.B.A. franchise to go for a Euro coach is more complicated, even if he may eventually be a great strategist or an innovator.”

He added: “D’Antoni was initially perceived not much of an option when he first started in Denver, but then in Phoenix he developed a basketball style that somehow changed the overall quality of the game — and it’s not a surprise that the Warriors and Steve Kerr somehow have developed their game on the basis of the basketball played those years in Phoenix.

“Messina has taken the path of showing his value on a prestigious bench like the Spurs’ in order to increase his chances. Blatt coached the best player in the game in Cleveland, but he was perceived more European than American and, bottom line, it will always take a strong commitment by an organization to go for a foreign coach as such a decision needs to be bought into by your top players who, most of the time, are not European.”

Too often, old-school perception weighs more heavily than performance. Had Blatt coached at Kentucky, he would have American court cred. James never bought into him. His teammates followed their leader.