Cavaliers fire Tyronn Lue
The winless Cleveland Cavaliers have fired head coach Tyronn Lue after just six games, the team announced.
Tyronn Lue statement obtained by @espn @TheUndefeated pic.twitter.com/Cj7JdsYS12
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpearsESPN) October 28, 2018
The Cavaliers reportedly tried to name assistant Larry Drew interim head coach, but he reportedly declined on Sunday night. Drew amassed a 143-169 head coaching record with the Atlanta Hawks from 2010 to 2013 and Milwaukee Bucks from 2013 to 2014. While Lue was sidelined with health issues last season, the Cavaliers went 8-1 with Drew manning the bench on an interim basis.
As part of the restructuring of the coaching staff, the team also dismissed assistant coach and former Cavaliers player Damon Jones, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.
Lue had approximately $15 million left on his contract, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Taking over for David Blatt midway through the 2015-16 season, Lue coached the Cavaliers to their first championship in franchise history in 2016. In parts of four seasons as the team's head coach, Lue went 128-83 (.607) in the regular season and 41-20 (.672) in the postseason, returning to the NBA Finals in both 2017 and 2018.
But after four straight trips to The Finals, the Cavaliers' outlook took a dramatic hit when LeBron James signed with the Los Angeles Lakers this summer. The Cavaliers rank 27th in 3-point percentage (31.6 percent), 23rd in offensive rating (105.7 points per 100 possessions), and 29th in defensive rating (118.3 points allowed per 100 possessions) this season.
In August, Lue spoke with excitement about the prospect of coaching the new-look, post-James Cavaliers.
"Of course I would love to have LeBron James, but now that he's gone, it's going to be a new challenge," Lue said, according to the Boston Globe's Gary Washburn. "I think me and my coaching staff, we're up for it. It's going to be different, a lot of young guys that we can try to teach and mold them how you want them to be."
"Now, having made the trades we made during the season and acquiring some young talent through the draft, it will be a different challenge for us," Lue added. "I'm already excited about it."