The Cleveland Cavaliers and Head Coach Tyronn Lue have agreed on a new, multi-year contract, General Manager David Griffin announced today. Other outlets have reported the deal is for $35 million over five years.
“The opportunity to continue coaching the Cavaliers and this very special group of players is tremendous,” said Lue. “I am extremely appreciative of the effort and commitment that Dan Gilbert, Jeff Cohen, Nate Forbes, and David Griffin showed in extending my contract. Cleveland fans are the best in sports and I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this very special community. I am focused on helping this organization continue to grow and look forward to more success for our team and our fans.”
Lue was promoted from associate head coach to head coach on January 22, 2016, thus becoming the 20th head coach in franchise history. The Cavs went on to finish the 2015-16 season with the best record in the Eastern Conference (57-25) and the franchise’s first ever NBA Championship.
Lue took over for David Blatt, who led the Cavs to a winning record, but also allowed internal problems to arise within the squad.
Lue rectified some of those issues and reunited the team, allowing Kevin Love to get more touches on the low block, and reportedly holding LeBron James accountable and putting him in his place when he tried to take over the huddle during a timeout.
“Ty took over our team under very trying circumstances and his calm, confident approach was invaluable as we found our way to success,” said Griffin. “His vision, leadership and tactical acumen were fundamental to us reaching our goals. We couldn’t be happier to have Ty continue to lead our group into the future.”
During the 2016 Playoffs, Lue became the first head coach in league history to win his first 10 postseason games, as Cleveland would go on to finish a franchise-best 16-5 in their title run.
After the Cavaliers defeated Golden State 4-3 in the 2016 NBA Finals, Lue became the fourth-youngest head coach to win an NBA title and just the third coach to win a championship after taking over a team mid-season, joining Pat Riley (2006 and 1982) and Paul Westhead (1980). The Cavaliers also became the first team to overcome a 3-1 deficit in Finals history and the fourth team to win an NBA Finals Game 7 on the road.
Lue originally came to Cleveland as the league's highest paid associate head coach in June 2014. Prior to joining the Cavs, he was an assistant coach on Doc Rivers’ staff with the Los Angeles Clippers, who captured the Pacific Division title with a 57-25 record in 2013-14. Before the Clippers, Lue spent four seasons as a member of Rivers’ Boston Celtics staff, the last two as an assistant coach. He began his time in Boston as the director of basketball development in 2009-10.
Originally drafted by the Denver Nuggets with the 23rd overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft, Lue played 11 seasons in the NBA, appearing in 554 career games with the Lakers, Washington, Orlando, Houston, Atlanta, Dallas and Milwaukee. The former University of Nebraska star won NBA championships as a player with the Lakers in 2000 and 2001.
By Staff of TheDailySportsHerald.com and news services
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