With the firing of Tyronn Lue, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ front office has promoted assistant coach Larry Drew to be the interim head coach. Drew could get the interim tag removed down the road if the team steadily progresses through the season, though he’s hoping for a commitment now.
Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski:
Cavs practicing soon — with GM Koby Altman expected to tell players that Larry Drew is the team’s voice today. Altman and Dan Gilbert wants Drew to accept interim coaching job — with possibility of a longer-term appointment later. Drew is hoping for a longer commitment now.
Prior to 2014 when he signed with the Cavs to become part of the coaching staff, Drew was an NBA assistant coach from 1992 to 2010. He started with the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 34 in 1992 and had numerous assistant coaching stints with various teams.
Drew finally got a big break in 2010 when the Atlanta Hawks signed him to a head coaching job. His three-year stint with the Hawks all ended up with winning records, 128-102 overall, before the team’s failure to go deeper in the playoffs led to his dismissal.
Then the former NBA point guard was offered a coaching stint by the Milwaukee Bucks, where he spent a forgettable year of leading the team to a lowly 15-67 record. In 2014, he was hired by the Cavs as an assistant coach and was promoted to the position of associate head coach in 2016.
When Lue was sidelined late last season with medical issues, Drew led the Cavaliers to an impressive 8-1 record.