Most basketball coaches would trade places with Tyronn Lue, but his job apparently isn’t as easy as one would think.
The Cleveland Cavaliers coach said this week on ESPN’s NBA Lockdown podcast that he has the hardest coaching job in the league. Lue, Cleveland’s coach since January 2016, cites the intense media scrutiny under which his team plays as the principle reason for his claim.
“I don’t like the media attention,” Lue said. “That’s why this job is just so tough because you’re out in front all the time. It’s tough because whatever you say, if you say one wrong thing — especially leading this team — it goes viral. It’s a big deal. That’s why in the huddles, a lot of times when we’re miked up, I never say anything.”
Cavs All-Stars LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love sat out some regular-season games this season, and many protested Lue for doing so.
“Like, what? Lue said. “So if you don’t play, you mad. If you play too much, you mad. … And I’ve come to the realization that it is what it is. That’s why I just try to tune the outside noise out.”
Lue, 39, was a Los Angeles Clippers assistant coach in 2013-14 and joined the Cavs ahead of the 2014-15 season as an associate head coach under David Blatt. When the Cavs fired Blatt, they named Lue head coach.
Despite leading Cleveland to the NBA championship on his first try, Lue still is learning his trade.
“I just got thrown right in the fire, not knowing how I wanted to coach,” he said. “I had a thought of what I wanted to do as a coach, but when you’re coaching LeBron James and Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love and the pressures of winning a championship, it’s different.
“Like, I didn’t have a chance to start lower and work my way up to the top. I just jumped right up to the top, right into the fire, and that was tough. That was the hardest part for me because I didn’t get a chance to grow. I didn’t get a chance to even like have time to prepare. It was just a tough situation, and it was all God. I think it was all God to get through that and win a championship and be down 3-1 the way we did it. I mean it was just, it had to be heaven sent.”
If Lue’s career ever takes him from the summit, he’ll be fully prepared to withstand the rigors of the job — like most other coaches.
Thumbnail photo via David Richard/USA TODAY Sports Images
