The Cleveland Cavaliers and Larry Drew have agreed to part ways. Now the Cleveland Cavaliers will need to find a new head coach.
In the least surprising news of the day, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Larry Drew agreed to part ways. Shams Charania of The Athletic reported the news Thursday.
Apparently the Cavaliers wanted to include Larry Drew in their coaching search, but Drew was not interested.
Larry Drew took over six games into the season after the Cavaliers fired Tyronn Lue. Drew compiled a 19-57 record in 76 games. While this record is hardly impressive, the circumstances under which he coached were not optimal. Kevin Love missed 50 games early in the season due to an injury. Several trades saw the departure of veteran players and an ever-changing roster. Rookie point guard Collin Sexton was thrust into a starting role. Sexton struggled at first, but was to perform much better as the season progressed.
Larry Drew was hesitant to even take the job at first. Drew expressed that he did not want to end up in a situation that he has seen before. Drew spent one season in Milwaukee was fired after the Bucks acquired Jason Kidd via trade. Milwaukee went 15-67 in Larry Drew’s one season as head coach.
Early head coaching options for the Cavaliers
Cleveland will have plenty of options as they look to find their next head coach. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that they will speak with several current NBA assistants.
In addition to those listed in the initial tweet, Wojnarowski also mentioned Bucks assistant “Dunkin” Darlin Ham as an option.
The final bit of information from Wojnarowski is key to the direction they are looking to head in.
Player development will be key for the Cavaliers moving forward. In addition to the current young players on the roster, Cleveland will be adding another young player via the NBA Draft. Guiding these young players will be crucial to the success of the Cavaliers in the near future.
