Report: Tyronn Lue Had to ‘Demand’ Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love to Defer to LeBron James

The Cleveland Cavaliers are no longer at the center of the NBA world, but when they were thanks to the likes of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love, all did not run so smoothly.

According to a Thursday morning report by Joe Vardon of The Athletic, the three aforementioned stars clashed heads during their first couple seasons together to the point that former Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue had to step in.

“LeBron and Irving clashed over their first two seasons together,” Vardon wrote. “So did LeBron and Love. Lue had to demand that Kyrie and Love defer to LeBron on the court, and to care more about winning than their own personal brands. He also had to take some power in the locker room away from LeBron. JR Smith … enough said.”

It’s a fascinating look inside the bygone era of Cavs basketball.

It also shines light on the many struggles that James has faced during his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers. Without a commanding head coach at the helm, it seems James is just as prone to locker room rifts as any player in the league.

Perhaps Lue’s ability to reign James and company in and help lead the Cavs to a championship in 2016 is one of the reasons why his name has been brought up as a possible replacement for current Lakers head coach Luke Walton.

As for the Cavs, the new era in Cleveland has started out as well as anyone could hope for. While the preseason goal was reportedly to compete for a playoff berth, an early-season injury to Love derailed those plans.

Now, with a record of 17-51, the Cavs have as good a chance as any team to land generational prospect Zion Williamson. If the Cavs were to land Williamson, they would quickly rise in the ranks of most promising young teams in the league.