Doc Rivers: Ty Lue, honestly, I literally cried when he won a championship as coach of the Cavs in 2016. I literally coached him for 10 games in Orlando. And I told him, ‘Call me literally the day after you’re cut from the NBA, and that won’t be long from now.’ I actually told him that because he was older. Ty called me and we didn’t have a job open in Boston. I walked into Danny’s office and told him we were hiring Ty Lue. He said, ‘Where?’ I said, ‘I don’t know. We are just going to make room for him because he had whatever “It” is.’ You could just see it.
Tyronn Lue Rumors
Tyronn Lue is leaving Northeast Ohio. And he’s leaving behind his $4.3 million house. According to Realtor.com, the Cleveland Cavaliers head coach has listed his mansion in Bay Village with an asking price of $4.3 million. The asking price without the additional buildable lot runs a little bit cheaper at $3.49 million.
What did you think of Ty Lue? Richard Jefferson: “Ty Lue was a great coach. He helped us win a championship. We all owe that to him as our leader, and he was in a tough situation where he took over in the middle of the season, but he was very good in dealing with players and managing talent. You never heard about problems with Ty Lue.”
The big question is if Walton gets to coach next season, when the Lakers think they’re going to get an established No. 2 star to pair with James. Although there is a lot of talk that stars want to stay away from James, they believe the Laker brand will help them get Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard or Klay Thompson. Of course, Lue’s name might come up now, if and when the Lakers make a coaching change. Like Walton, he’s a former Laker from the Shaq-Kobe championship days. Lue has direct ties to James, having coached Cleveland to the 2016 title and the last three Finals.
JR Smith wants out
Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard JR Smith said he is hoping for a trade, but sources tell cleveland.com he hasn’t officially made that request to management yet. Smith entered this season in a precarious spot, with general manager Koby Altman telling Smith and his camp before training camp that playing time would be sporadic. Smith played four total minutes in the first three games before head coach Tyronn Lue — fired Sunday morning — put him back in the rotation for the fourth and fifth games of the season.
According to a league source, trading Smith is “easier said than done.” He has statistically been one of the league’s worst players the last two years, which is why, more than anything else, the front office didn’t agree with Lue’s decision to play him. His contract is also an obstacle. Smith is making $14.7 million this season. His $15.6 million contract is partially guaranteed for $3.8 million in 2019-20.
Sources told cleveland.com that after sensing poor body language from Smith and worrying about how his attitude could impact the team, Altman sat down with Smith a few days ago and asked the 33-year-old guard whether he wanted to stay around the team while being glued to the bench. If Smith wasn’t going to be a leader, the needed veteran the youngsters benefit from being around and was instead going to sulk, it would be better for him to go home. Smith opted to stay.
