The turmoil that’s been surrounding the Cleveland Cavaliers has now apparently shifted to a controversy involving the status of current interim head coach Larry Drew.
Brian Windhorst and Adrian Wojanarowski of ESPN reported on Wednesday about the odd situation involving the Cavaliers, who fired their previous head coach, Tyronn Lue, on Sunday:
“The Cleveland Cavaliers and assistant coach Larry Drew have no traction in contract talks, and the sides could be headed for a peculiar stalemate over an interim coaching position, sources told ESPN.”
Drew expressed frustration on Tuesday about his current status. That’s due in part because his contract as associate head coach, which was paying him close to $1 million per year, expires in July.
“There are no updates, which I’m very disappointed about,” Drew said. “I’m going to be professional and I’m going to do my job. It’s been close to 72 hours.”
Drew replaced Lue on Sunday morning after the Cavaliers began the season with six straight losses. In Drew’s first game as the interim coach on Tuesday night, the Cavaliers defeated the Atlanta Hawks, 136-114.
The 60-year-old Drew played 11 seasons in the NBA before entering the coaching ranks. He previously served as head coach of the Hawks for three seasons and the Milwaukee Bucks for one year before joining the Cavaliers as an assistant in 2014.
Drew was promoted to associate head coach prior to the 2016-17 season. Last season, he temporarily served as acting head coach when Lue took a leave of absence for health reasons. During his time in that role, Drew led the Cavs to an 8-1 record.
Drew remains aware of the uncertainty regarding the immediate future:
“We’re actually kind of just weighing our options on [it not working out]. I really hope that we can get something resolved, but moving forward, I know there is a possibility that it may not be resolved.
“I would never quit. I won’t do that. As I said, I remain professional and will continue to do my job. I was told that there could be a possibility of them just bringing in somebody else to finish out the year and then I can move back into my original position as an associate head coach.”
In the meantime, Drew and the Cavaliers will focus on trying to win their second consecutive game on Thursday night. That’s when they host the Denver Nuggets in a game that will tip off just after 7 p.m. ET.
