Cavaliers give interim Drew deal
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 Cavaliers 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 Oct. 28 after 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 Cavaliers chose not to retain him, Drew will receive a buyout payment.
“So now there’s clarity,” Drew said Monday night before the Cavaliers lost to the Magic, 102-100, in Orlando, Fla. “There’s just no gray area, and because there’s no gray area and me and my staff can just roll our sleeves up put all into helping this teambe 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.
“I embrace the challenge. My staff embraces the challenge.”
The Cavaliers are 1-3 under Drew, who didn’t want to proceed this season without assurances from the organization. Drew, 60, promised to remain professional and do his job during the talks, and he kept his word.
After ruling the Eastern Conference the past four seasons with LeBron James, Cleveland is going through a difficult transition without the three-time champion.
And beyond the team’s rough start, the Cavaliers also are trying to cope minus All-Star forward Kevin Love, who might be out two months or more after foot surgery last week.
If that wasn’t enough, the Cavaliers also have been dealing with guard J.R. Smith wanting to be traded, Sexton struggling and former assistant Jim Boylan filing an age discrimination lawsuit against the team.
Rockets
James Harden made a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 34.8 seconds left and then closed out Houston’s 98-94 victory Monday night at Indiana by making four consecutive free throws. The reigning MVP scored 28 points as the Rockets won their third in a row since starting 1-5.