The Cleveland Cavaliers made a coaching change Sunday when they reportedly fired Ty Lue, and it sounds like it’s not a popular move in the locker room.
“(Cavs general manager Koby) Altman called Lue into his office Sunday morning and fired him, and the team’s players were informed immediately thereafter,” The Athletic’s Joe Vardon reported Sunday.
“A source told The Athletic the players are ‘pissed.’ Lue’s a player’s coach who is partial to veterans, and his partiality toward them may have played a role in his dismissal.”
A few of the team’s veterans posted their well wishes to Lue on Instagram, including Kevin Love, J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson.
Lue arguably is the most successful coach in Cavs franchise history. He doesn’t have the most wins in franchise history, but his 128-83 record gives him the third-best win percentage in team history. His 40 playoff victories are second-most in franchise history, and of course, he’s the only coach ever to lead Cleveland to an NBA Finals triumph (2016).
Despite all of Lue’s success, LeBron James’ decision to join the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent over the summer signaled the end for the current edition of the Cavs, and that process has continued with Lue’s firing.
Cleveland must now decide if it wants to tank — which probably is the best decision given its own 2019 first-round draft pick is top-10 protected and the team already is 0-6 — or to try to win games and finish with the eighth or seventh seed in the Eastern Conference.
If the Cavs want to lose and develop young talent, then Lue isn’t the best coach for that. But that doesn’t seem to make his departure any easier for the veterans on the roster to accept.
It’s going to be a long, tough season for Cleveland, and Lue’s firing should only make the process more painful.
