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5 Ways Tyronn Lue Has Improved The Cleveland Cavaliers

By Quenton S. Albertie

Jun 13, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue reacts in the first half in game five of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 13, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue reacts in the first half in game five of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 22, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue addresses the crowd during the Cleveland Cavaliers NBA championship celebration in downtown Cleveland. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 22, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue addresses the crowd during the Cleveland Cavaliers NBA championship celebration in downtown Cleveland. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

Improving Communication

One of the biggest issues with the Cleveland Cavaliers when they were coached by David Blatt was the barrier between him and the players.

The reasons that the players didn’t feel completely comfortable with Blatt started with differences on-the-court. He didn’t understand the nuances of the game as it’s played in the NBA, having been a coach for Macabbi Tel Aviv in the Euroleague for four years before jumping to the Association.

Beside his lack of experience coaching domestically, Blatt was simply a likeable fellow who the players didn’t feel completely comfortable being coached by according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.  Windhorst had this to say when he appeared on ESPN’s TrueHoop Podcast:

"” All I know is what I saw, and I saw a guy who completely was unable to get even a modicum of respect from a majority of his players. And I also saw star players and veteran players—not just LeBron, OK. We know LeBron had issues with him. But basically any player that had any sort of veteran status in the league, more than Joe Harris and Matthew Dellavedova—all the veterans didn’t like him, either. He wasn’t able to win over about anybody.”"

The veterans didn’t like his inexperience, in-game fupas, or his preference to play young and less proven players over them.

For what it’s worth, Blatt was seemingly not holding James accountable according to Brendan Haywood, a former player who played under Blatt with the Cavaliers. Haywood painted a disturbing picture of Blatt and how his fear of not only alienated the players but made them lose respect for him.

"“And we’re like, ‘Hey, you didn’t say anything about that. You’re going to correct when Matthew Dellavedova‘s not in the right spot. You’re going to say something when Tristan Thompson‘s not in the right spot. Well, we see a fast break and LeBron didn’t get back on defense or there’s a rotation and he’s supposed to be there, and you just keep rolling the film and the whole room is quiet.’ We see that as players. That’s when … as a player, you start to lose respect for a coach."

Here’s an anecdote from Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal that shows the lack of comfort players had with Blatt.

One time, James was summoned by Blatt after a game and Blatt was in the office with nothing but a towel on. James said he can’t talk to him like while he was just in a towel but Blatt told him it was okay. When James finished his discussion with Blatt, he came back and said to Tristan Thompson, “that man was naked”.

That’s not the incident that got Blatt fired, merely a symbolic piece of evidence that shows the lack of comfort the players had with Blatt. With Tyronn Lue, veterans are played according to their production and every player is held accountable. Because Lue was a player in the NBA, he both understands the game and has ready-made respect from players who watched him play. He’s also more relatable because he’s a young African-American coach at the helm of a team with a lot of veteran players who are also African-American. A lot of the older players are close to his age and, while Lue is their coach, his age allows him to be more comfortable to talk to because psychologically, a coach who is closer to their age could be your friend.