The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Fired coach Tyronn Lue got raw deal
This should be the wording in the classified ad submitted by Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert as he seeks a permanent replacement for Tyronn Lue:
“NBA basketball team in Cleveland now taking applications for head coach. We’re not very good right now because the best player in the world decided to skip town, but we expect the next coach to win, anyway. Please be aware that past success does not guarantee continued employment.”
Lue was fired Oct. 28. The Cavaliers, at 0-6, are one of only two NBA teams without a win. The Oklahoma City Thunder are 0-4, but no one seems to be panicking about that slow start.
“I am very grateful for the dedication, sacrifice and support of all the players on our team, the tremendous coaches I worked with and of course, our incredible fans,” a statement by Lue read in part. “I only wish the organization success going forward.”
He also thanked Gilbert, former general manager David Griffin and current G.M. Koby Altman. It was a classy exit, but most fired coaches say exactly the same thing. Just switch the names.
It doesn’t matter that Lue took the Cavaliers to their only NBA title in 2016 and to the NBA Finals the last two years. We know it doesn’t matter because David Blatt took them to the NBA Finals in 2015 but was fired midway through the next season despite the Cavaliers having the best record in the Eastern Conference (30-11) at the time.
Firing Blatt and replacing him with Lue resulted in the Cavaliers winning their only championship. Nothing against Larry Drew, who is replacing Lue, but this shakeup is not going to produce a similar result.
Lue is being made a scapegoat for a calculated plan that is failing. When LeBron James chose to leave the Cavaliers in July to sign with the Lakers, Cavs management set out to continue winning with a mixture of veterans and young players instead of stripping the team down and starting over. Another term for starting over is tanking.
Tanking does not guarantee results, so trying to win with Kevin Love taking a leadership role is defensible. But Love missed the game in Detroit on Oct. 25 and the game at home against the Indiana Pacers on Oct. 27 with a foot injury.
The Cavaliers opened the season with road losses to Toronto and Minnesota. So, essentially, Lue was fired for home losses to Atlanta and Brooklyn in Games 3 and 4 of what is clearly a transition season.
The Cavaliers have not led in the second half this season. They looked lost and clueless losing 133111
to the Hawks. There are clearly problems, clearly growing pains they must experience, but that should not merit Lue being fired less than two weeks into the season; the Cavaliers were 4-23 the past four seasons when James did not play.
Don’t cry for Lue, though. He has $15 million remaining on his contract with the Cavaliers, and since he was the first NBA coach fired this season, he is already a candidate to replace the next one — like if the Lakers fire Luke Walton, for example — if he wants to continue coaching. He might decide the pressure and tension isn’t worth the headaches and stress, and physical and emotional toll.
If Lue does not coach again, he will be remembered fondly by players he did coach.
“T Lue thanks for the memories and more importantly our partnership bringing a championship to that deserved city/fan base,” James tweeted. “U
know where to find me.”
Love said this: “You helped me see the big picture. Life changing experience and teaching points. Nothing but love and admiration. Know we will work towards something greater again. THANK YOU”
Clearly, Lue hadn’t lost the team. He is a teaching coach, and that is exactly what this team needs as Larry Nance Jr., Jordan Clarkson, Cedi Osman, rookie Collin Sexton, Rodney Hood and others try to learn their roles.
The Cavaliers should make a smooth transition to Drew, who was 8-1 as a head coach last season when he took over as an interim basis while Lue recovered from an illness. But that isn’t the point.
Lue got a raw deal. A coaching change is not going to magically make the team a playoff contender.