Cleveland Cavaliers: Tyronn Lue needed to do what was best for him

For the time being Tyronn Lue will no longer be the Cleveland Cavaliers head coach.

It was announced earlier today that the third-year Cleveland Cavaliers head coach, who is just 40-years-old, would be stepping away to deal with his ongoing health issues that have plagued him for much of the season.

Those aforementioned health issues have caused Lue to miss all or parts of three games this season, including missing the second half of their 114-109 victory in Chicago this past Saturday.

In a statement released today, Lue went on to say, “I have had chest pains and other troubling symptoms, compounded by a loss of sleep, throughout the year. Despite a battery of tests, there have been no conclusions as to what the exact issue is.”

To read the full press release that Cavaliers posted today, you can click here to view it.

Cavaliers associate head coach Larry Drew will now take over in Lue’s place. Cleveland currently sits at 41-29 (3rd place in the East) and only have 12 games remaining until the postseason begins. That is not a lot of time for Drew to get comfortable with his new role, nor is it alot of time for Lue to get a good grip on the rotational changes once back.

More from King James Gospel

Drew does have some prior head coaching experience with Atlanta (2010-13) and Milwaukee (2013-14). Drew has also been on the Cavaliers staff since 2014 and is familiar with how things operate within the Cavaliers organization. But this new role will likely take some time for Drew to adjust to.

Lue is someone who has been with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the entirety of James’ second stint back in Cleveland and has been through all the high’s and low’s. Regardless of your opinion of him, things will be different without him on the sidelines.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Ty Lue has been considering stepping away for a few weeks but kept trying to gut it out. Wojnarowski also reported that Lue’s goal is to return before the start of the playoffs.

League sources also told Wojnarowski that Lue was hesitant to step aside after the trades were made in early February because he wanted to help integrate the new players that were acquired into the lineup.

LeBron James spoke with the media this morning and addressed the situation involving Lue’s health issues.

If Lue misses a minimum amount of time, there will be little impact. But if Lue misses any significant amount of time, that could drastically change things for the Cavaliers. They have already dealt with their ups and downs this season and may struggle to find consistency with Drew at the helm.

The team will rely heavily on veterans like James and Kyle Korver to guide them through this difficult stretch. Changing coaches at any point in the season is tough, doing so with 13 games left with a team that has title aspirations is less than ideal.

This situation looks even worse when you consider the fact Cleveland is playing with several key missing due to injuries.

Add it all up and this simply does not feel like the Cavaliers season.

In a season full of turmoil, this is just the latest obstacle to be thrown the Cavaliers way. As always stay tuned for any further information regarding Tyronn Lue. Hopefully, this is nothing too serious and Lue can make his return to the bench sooner rather than later.

Must Read: LeBron ranked as most dominant NBA player of the millennium

It may hurt Cleveland in the short term, but at the end of the day, Tyronn Lue needed to do what was best for him. It takes some courage, but we’re all glad he’s taking care of himself first and foremost.