Tyronn Lue was LeBron James‘ hand-picked guy. David Blatt was out and Lue was in and that was how LeBron wanted it in Cleveland.
LeBron is no longer in Cleveland.
Now, neither is Tyronn Lue thanks to owner Dan Gilbert’s quick trigger, a story broken by Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Lue confirmed the firing and released this statement.
Drew is a long-time assistant who was the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks for four seasons from 2010-14. The Cavs let go of other assistant coaches and all, including Drew, are on one year contracts.
LeBron James and new franchise centerpiece Kevin Love have Lue’s back — speaking for a lot of current Cavs players who are not happy with the move.
No doubt Cleveland has looked like the worst team in the NBA to start the young season, with the second-worst defense and 23rd-ranked offense in the league. They have been outscored by 12.6 points per 100 possessions through six games.
Is that really Lue’s fault? The team lost the player that carried them to the Finals, the man the entire roster was built around. Then this summer they didn’t revamp the roster with any kind of direction in mind.
While he’s not considered an Xs and Os guru by his peers, Lue is considered a hard-working coach who got a team to a ring with some smart moves. Lue is a coach given a misfit roster that was never going to transition smoothly. Some in the Cleveland front office thought could compete for a playoff spot, an idea that drew laughs from most observers, and there is a feeling Lue trusted his veterans when the Cavaliers front office wanted more minutes for the youth. Still, the front office was full of mixed signals. They paid big money to Kevin Love this summer — a $120 million contract extension — despite his age and injury history. Love has been fine this season, 19.5 points and 13 rebounds a game, but the roster around him is not going to fit well with his game.
What should have been a rebuild after LeBron left has become a team that is neither win now or rebuilding. And it shows. That’s more about Dan Gilbert and his ownership/leadership, which is going to be exposed even more in the coming years.
But Lue takes the hit. Welcome to the NBA.