The Cleveland Cavaliers dumped David Blatt in favor of current coach Tyronn Lue in large part because the front office thought Lue would have a better handle on LeBron James.
Boy were they right.
In a new and revealing look at Cleveland’s decision to promote Lue and how it has impacted the Cavaliers, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com dropped a hilarious inside look at James getting shut down in front of the team in a huddle:
Lue changed that the moment he first told James in a huddle, “Shut the [expletive up]. I got this,” according to a person who heard the exchange—and a few others like it. If Lue was going to get the stars and the role players to buy into the strategic changes he was determined to implement—play faster, space the floor, move the ball, take full advantage of Love’s versatility—he was going to have to restore order first.
That’s one way to do it. It didn’t stop there, either:
He did it in every way possible, starting with James — calling him out in film sessions, barking at him in practice, seizing control back. Only then could the Cavaliers evolve into the juggernaut we are witnessing now.
The days of James wrestling control of a huddle from Blatt and even going so far as to change the play of the head coach are over. Way, way over.
James might be worth a cool billion in Nike sneaker cash alone, but Lue has him obeying chain of command in a big way. And hey, the Cavaliers have yet to lose in the playoffs.
It’s impossible to ignore how Lue has helped the Cavaliers. Oh, and how awesome he’s been while doing it.