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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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Nov 16, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kay Felder (20) receives some coaching on the sideline by head coach Tyronn Lue in the second half of the game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. the Indiana Pacers beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-93. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 16, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kay Felder (20) receives some coaching on the sideline by head coach Tyronn Lue in the second half of the game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. the Indiana Pacers beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-93. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /

Inspiring Confidence

When it comes to inspiring confidence in his players, Lue has done great at that as well.

It started with him reminding Love that he was an elite player while his predecessor had seen fit to say that Love wasn’t a max player.

According to Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor, Lue told Love to say “Kevin, you got to be more aggressive. Tell LeBron, I’m a bad m—–f—– too, so throw me the ball.”

“Kevin, you got to be more aggressive. Tell LeBron, I’m a bad m—–f—– too, so throw me the ball.”

Love has looked better since Lue took over both on and off-the-court, having slimmed down while adding muscle in the offseason and being aggressive on the court. Off-the-court, Love seems as happy and confident as ever.

This season, Lue has been great for the confidence of Liggins, McRae and Felder. His comments about the trio of unknown guards don’t just make the fanbase confident that they can perform well enough on the court to be in the rotation.

All throughout the summer, Lue praised the talent of the undersized Felder and even named him the backup point guard prior to the season. Unfortunately, suffering a concussion before the season opener derailed those plans. Liggins has been praised as a Tony Allen-like defender by Lue. When McRae scored like a man on a mission, defying the expectations of his critics after a tough start to the season, Lue was shouting McRae’s names to the rafters to anybody that would listen.

Even a veteran like Dunleavy Jr. has been shielded from heavy criticism by Lue’s confidence in him. Struggling early in the season, Lue simply said that it’s tough for a player who hasn’t been playing much to get in a rhythm after being a starter last year. Smith is constantly praised by Lue, who loves his effort on defense and his fire on the court.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that playing for a coach that believes in you doesn’t just make you want to go to bat for him, it makes the game more fun and strengthens the camaraderie within the group.