John Beilein apologises to Cavaliers players for 'bunch of thugs' gaffe

The Cleveland Cavaliers are languishing at the 13th spot on the NBA's Eastern Conference table. Cavaliers coach John Beilein offered an unusual explanation for their recent woes in a film session earlier this week.

According to an ESPN report, Beilein was quoted as telling the Cavaliers that they wore no longer "playing like a bunch of thugs". However, according to the same report, the Cleveland Cavaliers coach then made a half-baked correction to that statement.

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John Beilein's "bunch of thugs" gaffe

In an off-day film session in a hotel earlier this week, the Cavaliers coach wanted to point out the team's lax approach to the NBA games in their last couple of outings and also address the team's late-game woes. After the Tuesday night game against the Detroit Pistons, these woes were once again on show as the Cavs suffered a narrow 113-115 loss.

To point out the late-game worries, John Beilein told his players that they were no longer playing "like a bunch of thugs". According to the report, the room fell silent after John Beilein's declaration, considering the fact that there are a number of African-American players on the Cavs' roster.

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John Beilein reaches out to players; corrects "bunch of thugs" statement

However, the Cleveland Cavaliers coach then reached out to the players and corrected himself, saying that he meant to say the word "slugs" instead of "thugs". This was in the hope that he would get the players to recognize that they weren't putting in the hard yards at various points in the games. 

"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," John Beilein reportedly told ESPN. "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."

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