Maybe Tryonn Lue has a point.
The former head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers was dismissed 15 months ago. Obviously it came in the wake of Lebron James bolting for Los Angeles. The Cavaliers weren’t going to win many games, and ownership had to know that. Still, the Cavs moved onward with a new head coach.
John Belien is that man, and things aren’t going great. On Tuesday, Lue talked for the first time since his dismissal.
"It was tough. To win the first championship ever in Cleveland history, and then make the Finals (the next two years) and then get fired six games in, it's hard to swallow and it's tough to deal with," Tyronn Lue said. #NBA https://t.co/VlWwRaQOMd
— ESPN5 (@Sports5PH) January 15, 2020
Lue told The Athletic the following:
“I don’t think it should’ve happened. When it happened, I just kind of … It puts everything in perspective. You’ve got to continue to keep working, it’s a business — you’ve got to understand that.”
More than anything, winning the first championship in the city and not having any goodwill extended so he could keep his job seems to bother Lue.
“It was tough. To win the first championship ever in Cleveland history, and then make the Finals (the next two years) and then get fired six games in, it’s hard to swallow and it’s tough to deal with. You start thinking about things like what you could have done different or if it was going to happen if you did anything different anyway.”
Obviously – and fair or not – most people look at the Cavaliers team under Lue as a team that was run by Lebron James. This goes for both on and off the floor. As I said, it’s not fair, but there’s an asterisk with the head coach any time a coach has Lebron on his roster. It’s a double-edged sword.
