Drew to coach Cavs for rest of season

CLEVELAND — Larry Drew’s awkward impasse with the Cleveland Cavaliers is over.

The team relented to Drew’s requests by restructuring his contract and signing him to be their coach for the remainder of this season — and perhaps beyond.

Drew and his agent, Andy Miller, had been negotiating since the Cavs’ top assistant asked for security and guarantees if he was going to become the rebuilding team’s interim coach and replace Tyronn Lue, who was fired on Oct. 28 following a 0-6 start. Drew wanted a pay raise to finish out the season and got one.

Drew’s new deal includes a team option for the 2019-20 season. If the Cavs chose not to retain him, Drew will receive a buyout payment.

“So now there’s clarity,” Drew said Monday night before the Cavs played in Orlando. “There’s just no gray area, and because there’s no gray area, me my staff can just roll our sleeves up and put all into helping this team be successful.”

Drew said he did not talk to the team about anything beyond this season.

“The discussion we had was about moving forward with what we have and what we want to accomplish,” he said. “We want to do everything to put (rookie guard) Collin (Sexton) in a position to be successful. We’re going to try and move forward and keep this team competitive.”