Larry Drew is not a happy camper right now. The Cleveland Cavaliers acting head coach was largely expected to be promoted to interim head coach after Tyronn Lue‘s sudden firing, but has received no update from the team with regards to any sort of contract extension. Moreover, it has been over 72 hours since the team decided to part ways with Lue.
Larry Drew said he’s ‘very disappointed’ the Cavs have not yet given him the new contract he wants to be interim coach
— Joe Vardon (@joevardon) October 30, 2018
Furthermore, Drew said he has been told that the team could hire someone else as interim head coach, which would move him back to his old role as assistant coach. In spite of this, Drew has maintained his commitment to remaining professional and even revealed hints about potentially leaving the team next summer, once his contract expires.
#Cavs acting coach Drew said he will “never quit, remain professional.” Says he’s been told team could bring in someone else and he’d move back to his old role. “I’m fine with that … my contract is up in July. Maybe Larry Drew isn’t part of the future.” https://t.co/eINiQqJepC
— Sam Amico (@AmicoHoops) October 30, 2018
Whether or not this indicates a growing rift between Drew and Cavs management remains to be seen. But the fact that Drew has clearly stated his displeasure towards the current state of things is not a good sign. However, Drew’s professionalism throughout this process is to be commended.
A lot has been said about incompetency of the team’s majority owner, Dan Gilbert, and many people will be quick to point fingers at him, with one former Cavs employee even stating that working for him “sucks.”
As much as it hurts to admit this, the start to this season has been nothing short of a hot mess for the Cavs. It’s surely going to take a lot of work — both on and off the court — to rectify these issues, starting with Drew’s contract.
Drew was hired by the Cavs in 2014 as assistant coach, and was part of the championship-winning squad in 2016.
