Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue is no stranger to being the scapegoat. He has drawn the ire of basketball analysts and Cavs fans alike for his supposed shortcomings not only throughout this season but during his entire tenure as the head honcho in Cleveland.
This is why the recent announcement that Lue appears to be staying on next year as the Cavaliers’ head coach will surely garner some mixed reactions from the basketball world.
The 41-year-old made the announcement on the heels of their four-game NBA Finals sweep at the hands of the heavily-favored Golden State Warriors. Lue’s alleged inadequacies were highlighted throughout the Finals, and some believed that his decision not to call a timeout in the dying seconds of Game 1 was further proof of his ineptitude.
Nonetheless, credit has to be given where it is due. Despite having a myriad of issues throughout the season — and having to overhaul his entire roster mid-year — Lue still managed to lead the Cavs to an unlikely appearance in the NBA Finals.
Even LeBron James himself — who is considered by many as being the sole reason why his team was able to make it this far — would definitely agree that his coach was pivotal in the team’s success. Not to mention Lue’s personal health problems which caused him to temporarily step down as head coach just a few months ago.
At the end of the day, the decision to keep Lue may very well be irrelevant to the Cavaliers franchise. Should James decide to abandon ship this summer, the head coaching job will undoubtedly be downgraded to a secondary issue.