Tyronn Lue was not the first choice of replacement by LeBron James’ camp. Ex-Warriors head coach Mark Jackson was, according to Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski. So why didn’t things go according to plan for LeBron and co.? Cleveland’s front office didn’t want to hire Jackson.
From Wojnarowski:
To become the preferred candidate of the most powerful player in the NBA – and de facto Cavaliers general manager – Jackson understood what he needed to do: Bring on James’ and Paul’s Klutch Sports agency as his representation, and prepare to deliver those commission fees into the King’s coffers. Blatt never had a chance. He never knew what hit him.
From the beginning, the Klutch Sports campaign to puncture Blatt’s standing as head coach had been as relentless as it was ruthless. James is one of the great leaders in pro sports, and he directed the Cavaliers how he wanted them: in complete defiance of Blatt.
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In the end, here was the problem for Klutch Sports’ original plan: Cleveland refused to hire Jackson. General manager David Griffin is too well-connected in the NBA, too knowledgeable of the truths inside Jackson’s Warriors regime to let that happen. So much of Griffin’s job has been to manage the constant demands of James’ camp and the volatility of owner Dan Gilbert. As much as anything, his job has been to bridge the chaos above and below him.
Once Klutch Sports realized that Jackson wasn’t going to be hired, they had to find a plan b. The plan? Settle for assistant coach Tyronn Lue.
From Wojnarowski, once again:
Once James’ camp realized that Jackson would never be considered as coach – nor would Lue leave his representation to join Klutch Sports agency, despite overtures – Lue became a compromise choice for James’ group, sources said. They started pushing for Lue to replace Blatt last season, and grew louder in those calls in recent days and weeks.
Gilbert made Lue the league’s highest-paid assistant coach at $2 million-plus a year, forever considering him the head-coach-in-waiting should Blatt need to go. Ultimately, Blatt had little staying power with the Cavaliers, because James had turned Blatt’s removal into an inevitability. As the games wore on, opposing players on the floor weren’t only watching James constantly wave off plays from the coach – but role players feeling emboldened to disregard the head coach’s instructions, too.
Sounds like LeBron really wanted Blatt out of there. The firing of Blatt, and all the drama involving LeBron surrounding the firing confirms what most already suspected: LeBron James runs the Cleveland Cavaliers, even if GM David Griffin won’t admit it.
