Cavaliers’ head coach Tyronn Lue confirmed after his team’s Game 4 loss in the NBA Finals to the Warriors that he intends to return as head coach of the Cavs next season, reports Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Whether his star player, LeBron James, plans to do the same remains to be seen.
Lue, 41, has three years remaining on the five-year contract extension he signed in the summer of 2016 when he was fresh off leading the Cavs to the city of Cleveland’s first professional sports championship in 52 years. However, Lue took a nine-game medical leave of absence earlier this season, putting it somewhat into doubt whether he was capable of continuing to coach through the 2020-21 season.
While it was reported at the time that Lue was suffering from chest pains and occasionally coughing up blood, it was later revealed by Lue himself that his absence was primarily related to anxiety, a relatively manageable condition compared to what could have been something much more threatening.
In additional to the aforementioned championship, Lue has led the Cavs to a regular-season record of 128-77 (.624) and a playoff record of 41-20 (.672) in his first two and a half seasons as head coach.
Of course he plans on returning. It’s guaranteed money. Who else would hire Lebron’s handpicked passive assistant/water boy? We all know he isn’t REALLY the coach of the Cavs. Lol.
But he’s about to be
Once that respect is gone, it’s impossible to be taken seriously.
I’d like to see, if James leaves, what Lue can do as a teaching coach for a rebuild before dumping him. Dan Gilbert will dump him no matter how much he owes him as he’s done in the past if he feels Lue isn’t the guy to lead the team forward.
However, I, as most fans, believe it all depends on where James will play next season. Stay tuned fans to see the circus this off season summer promises! Should be a barn burner.
ESPN will start tonight, and that’s ALL we’ll see all day, everyday, all summer….”Where will Lebron land?!?!?” Ugh.
At this point, who cares? He’ll be 34, soon. 34 is young in regular life, but definitely “old” in sports. He will degrade significantly, each year.
If or without LBJ, Lue needs to establish an identity to whom the Cavs are, their DNA, other than the team with LBJ and a bunch of shooters. Lue needs to develop a defensive identity. We don’t have a single lock down guard or wing player outside of LBJ (to an extent), they don’t rotate well, they don’t communicate. In the NBA you need to be either ridiculously athletic or incredibly smart, and often you need to be a large part of both to succeed.
What a bunch of Lebron haters, cannot take seriously anything you say, shows poor basketball IQ hating on Lebron, enjoy him while he still is at his peak.
Re-sign Hood and draft Wendell if he’s available or Sexton. And watch Lue coach them to the playoffs without Lebron, people will not understand that Lebron was holding back that team.