Tyronn Lue says Cavs told him he’d be HC over David Blatt, explains why he later joined team as assistant

During a recent interview on J.J. Redick’s popular podcast, former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue revealed that he initially believed that he was heading to the organization to become the head coach.

He joined the organization in 2014, and while he initially thought he was going to be the head man from day one, he found out that former Cavs head coach David Blatt was going to be his boss.

“Before they offered me the assistant job, I thought the job was mine,” he said. “They had called me and told me like, ‘This is your job. We’re going to do the press conference. We’ll call you back later.’ So, I took a nap. I woke up and on ESPN it said you know, ‘David Blatt has been named the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers.'”

Lue went on to explain that he was ultimately offered an associate head coaching job, and when he expressed a lack of interest in that position, the Cavs effectively kept raising his potential income until the deal was too good to pass up.

As Cavs fans know, it wouldn’t be long before Lue took over for the team. On Jan. 22, 2016, Lue was named the head coach of the Cavs following the midseason firing of Blatt. Just under five months later, the Cavs were hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy after coming back from a 3-1 deficit in the 2016 NBA Finals.

To this point, that feat is still the pinnacle of Lue’s coaching career.

These days, both Lue and the Cavs find themselves in great positions. Lue is currently the head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, a team that is seen as a real dark horse in the Western Conference.

As for the Cavs, they’re looking every part like the playoff team that experts and fans alike predicted them to be heading into this season. After dropping their first game of the season earlier this month, the Cavs have reeled off three wins in a row.

To make things more impressive, they’ve won all three of those games without All-Star guard Darius Garland, who is currently recovering from a slight eye injury he suffered.

With that in mind, Garland’s return could be just a day away, as the young star has targeted Friday’s matchup against the defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics as his return date.

If all goes according to plan, the Cavs should essentially be at full strength in that highly anticipated game.

Lue and the Clippers are currently 2-2 on the season and in a play-in tournament spot.