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Cleveland Cavaliers: Tyronn Lue is the problem

By Nathan Beighle

OAKLAND, CA - DECEMBER 25: Head coach Tyronn Lue of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts to the officiating from the referees during an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors at ORACLE Arena on December 25, 2017 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - DECEMBER 25: Head coach Tyronn Lue of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts to the officiating from the referees during an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors at ORACLE Arena on December 25, 2017 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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The Cleveland Cavaliers have been embarrassed in their last two games. With other key struggles, it might be time to bring in a defensively-minded coach.

To start, I have nothing against Tyronn Lue. But, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been completely dismantled these last two games, and it’s time he’s the one that goes.

One of the two key issues facing the Cavs is they are the NBA’s oldest team. They struggle to compete with younger teams, playing multiple games a week. Their old age has shown at times, but it goes much further than that.

Outside of just old age, the Cavaliers have one of the worst, if the not the worst, defense in the league. Before their complete embarrassment in Toronto, the Cavs gave up 127 in back to back games against the Magic and Timberwolves. Following those games, they showed up and showed no effort against Toronto, giving up 78 points in the first 27 minutes of the game.

While the team only has a few good defensive players, it might be time to question their defensive schemes, how they are coached, and if Tyronn Lue can motivate them to start caring again.

The Cavaliers are undoubtedly going to make the playoffs. That’s not a concern in the Land. But, what is of concern is if they can turn this season around. Following a 5-7 start to the season, the Cavs returned to dominance, winning 13 straight. However, after the Cavs victory over the Celtics to kick the season off, the Cavs have gone 0-5 against the NBA top teams with horrific losses to Minnesota, Toronto, and Boston.

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The Cavs can beat the mediocre teams, but they must step it up with Indiana, Golden State, and Oklahoma City coming up on the calendar.

As for Lue, at some point, you have to stop blaming the lack of stardom and the lack of effort. As a coach, it’s on you to make everything run smoothly. The Cavs currently have two superstars on their team, one top-tier defensive player, another star, and one of the league’s best sharpshooters. They have the pieces, but are the pieces being played correctly?

If you can’t get those players to play well together, to operate at their peak, it’s time to see if someone else can. The Cavs dropped to 26-15 after last night’s loss. In the 2015-2016 season, management fired David Blatt after going 30-11. 30-11 is significantly better than 26-15. It’s about time to look inward, not outward for some player to come in and save this team.

Lue also has given the starting unit far too many chances. As the Cavs were blown out last night, Lue let Smith just continue to be on the floor. Against the Timberwolves, the Cavs bench outscored their starters by over 30 points. That’s a mess, and something must change.

As for Lue’s on-court decision making, Sam Amico of Amico Hoops put it best.

To add to that, the replacement is right there too. David Fizdale is a defensive-minded head coach that was trained under the highly underrated Eric Spoelstra. As a matter of fact, he helped lead an aging Memphis Grizzlies team to a top 10 defensive rating just one year ago.

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Jae Crowder, JR Smith, and LeBron James are all fantastic defensive players. At some point, it’s time to start putting the blame on Lue instead of assuming you can make one trade and completely fix this team.