How safe is Coach Lue’s job?

Is Lue up to the task?

There are reasons to be skeptical of Lue’s coaching ability.

He has been criticized for his personnel decisions, game plans, and communication.

Look no further for evidence than Game 5 against the Celtics in this year’s Eastern Conference Finals.

Kyle Korver had played a major role in this series, averaging 14 points per game on 66 percent from deep in the Cavaliers’ victories in Cleveland. But Lue did not play him in the first quarter because Celtics coach Brad Stevens elected to not give Semi Ojeleye minutes then.

Lue told the Boston Globe, “Well, initially [Stevens] has been putting Ojeleye in, so that’s been Kyle’s matchup when he comes in the game, but he didn’t play him tonight, so it kind of threw us for a loop.”

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Coach Lue essentially allowed his playoff rotations be dictated by Brad Stevens. What’s more, he let them be dictated by Ojeleye, a rookie who averaged 1.9 points and 1.6 rebounds per game in 13.5 minutes during the postseason.

There is reason to shift personnel plans to create the best matchups, but Ojeleye should not decide if one of the league’s most legendary shooters goes in.

Still, Lue may be a better coach than he is given credit. After all, LeBron was often praised when the team won while Lue was scapegoated when they did not.

Regarding the Cavs 2016 title run, Lue himself has pointed out that the team stunted Golden State’s famous offense. “We hold them to 89 points on their home court in Game 7. LeBron’s not doing that,” he told the Undefeated.

Cleveland’s 41-year-old head coach—the same age as “brilliant” wonder kid Brad Stevens—has also fought through much adversity in his short head coach tenure.

In March 2018, Lue was forced to step away from the team to treat an ongoing illness, which he later revealed to be connected to anxiety. He came back only three weeks later.

During the 2016 season, Lue’s mother dealt with breast cancer and his grandmother battled lung cancer. And Lue himself dealt with voices telling him he undermined David Blatt.

In the same Undefeated story, he said: “All the hate and criticism, having my mom and grandmother going through cancer treatment, it was a tough year. When we finally won, I finally exhaled. We did it; this is over. We got through it.”

While Lue’s decisions have been questionable, he has also proven himself on-the-court as a champion and as an incredibly strong person off-the-court.