Cavs coach Lue taking leave for health reasons
So far, what ails him is a mystery
CLEVELAND – A trying season for the Cleveland Cavaliers just got more trying.
Coach Tyronn Lue is taking a leave of absence to address his health, which has included “chest pains and other troubling symptoms, compounded by a loss of sleep,” Lue said in a statement. “Despite a battery of tests, there have been no conclusions as to what the exact issue is.”
Lue plans to be back this season, perhaps by the end of the month, a person with direct knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY under the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of Lue’s absence.
With Lue out, associate head coach Larry Drew will serve as interim coach, the person said.
With the Cavs at 40-29 before Monday’s game against the Bucks, this season has been a struggle for Cleveland. The Isaiah Thomas trade didn’t work; Kevin Love is out with an injury, and the trade-deadline deals that netted Larry Nance Jr., Jordan Clarkson, Rodney Hood and George Hill haven’t produced as the Cavs expected.
Now this, the guy credited with engineering a 3-1 Finals comeback and championship over the Warriors in 2016 is out at a crucial time in the season. The playoffs start in less than a month, and Cleveland is trying to hold the third or fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.
“It’s obviously like losing one of your best players — obviously, the guy that’s pretty much the captain of the ship, that’s run the thing for the last three years,” Cavs star LeBron James said.
Coaches at this level are in high-pressure situations regardless of salary, and this Cavs job is stressful. The expectation is to reach the NBA Finals. Even bigger than that, LeBron James’ impending free agency lingers over the franchise.
Lue is coaching under the notion that the success of their season will influence James’ decision to re-sign or go to another team in free agency this summer. That’s a heavy burden.
What’s more, a healthy lifestyle is not easy in the coaching profession with late nights, early mornings, demanding travel and odd sleep schedules.
The Cavs have known about this and even saw it coming. Lue did not coach the second half of Saturday’s game against the Bulls because of the undisclosed illness, the second time this season he didn’t finish a game he started. He also missed a game in December.
“I knew he was struggling, but he was never not himself,” James told reporters Monday. “He was just dealing with it the best he could. Once he leaves the gym and goes home and things of that nature, there’s things we don’t know. But he was the same every single day even though he was going through what he was going through.”
It makes sense for Lue to miss games to focus on his health. It’s not ideal, but not knowing if Lue is going to coach one game to the next is less ideal.
“While I have tried to work through it, the last thing I want is for it to affect the team,” Lue said. “I am going to use this time to focus on a prescribed routine and medication, which has previously been difficult to start in the midst of a season. My goal is to come out of it a stronger and healthier version of myself so I can continue to lead this team to the championship we are all working towards.”
Said James, “His health is most important, and we look forward to when he comes back.”
The Cavaliers are in better position to handle Lue’s absence than most.
They have an experienced staff led by Drew, a longtime NBA assistant and head coach of the Hawks and Bucks before joining Cleveland’s staff in 2014.
Assistant Jim Boylan has been in the NBA for more than 25 seasons.
Mike Longabardi was an assistant on Doc Rivers’ Celtics 2008 title team.
“So the voice changes but the message should still be the same obviously,” James said. “Our coaching staff is going to pick up right where T-Lue has left them in the best possible chance for us to succeed. Obviously, it’s a different thing, but we should be prepared and we’ve got to go out and do our job.”