On Sunday, the Cleveland Cavaliers fired championship-winning coach Tyronn Lue after a disastrous 0-6 start to the season. Somehow, in the days since – even after winning their only game since his dismissal – their coaching outlook is even worse.
Since Lue was fired, assistant Larry Drew has been acting as the head coach. Drew previously assumed coaching duties last season with the Cavs after Lue took a health-related leave of absence, and went 8-1 in those games. One of the highest paid assistants in the NBA, he was an obvious choice to take over.
But instead of committing to Drew as the interim coach, Cleveland brass has instead decided to punt. The Cavs are asking him to run the team on his assistant contract while half-heartedly searching for a coach from the outside, something they have made little progress on, according to ESPN.
After Lue was fired, Drew stated that he was “not the interim head coach,” even though the Cavaliers claimed he was. Drew is reportedly asking for an adjustment to his contract to where he can be compensated for the additional duties of the job. So far, Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert appears unwilling to do so.
“There are no updates, which I’m very disappointed about,” Drew said on Tuesday. “I’m going to be professional and I’m going to do my job. It’s been close to 72 hours.”
The Cavaliers look to be headed towards a long rebuild, as things have crumbled in a blink since LeBron James left for the Lakers over the summer. Their best player, Kevin Love, may be out for a month with a foot injury. Veteran guard J.R. Smith was recently removed from the rotation and has considered taking time away from the team, according to ESPN. Cleveland is additionally looking for trade partners for Kyle Korver, who has also lost playing time.
It’s a miserable situation for a head coach, and Drew was thrust into the role without a raise or a guarantee he will even be around next week, let alone when his deal expires in July. He has publicly stated his desire to be around for the long haul, rebuild or not.
“If it’s going to take some time, I’d like to be a part of it,” he said. “I made the organization pretty aware of that.”
But the organization doesn’t look ready to meet his request, and the situation appears headed for a precipitous stalemate.
Drew managed to win his first game at the helm, a 136-114 victory over the lowly Atlanta Hawks. But it is unclear how long the current situation will hold up, or how long Drew is willing to work under his current deal.
“I really hope that we can get something resolved, but moving forward, I know there is a possibility that it may not be resolved,” Drew said.
“I would never quit. I won’t do that. As I said, I remain professional and will continue to do my job. I was told that there could be a possibility of them just bringing in somebody else to finish out the year and then I can move back into my original position as an associate head coach.”