Written by Jeff Schudel at The Morning Journal.com
Tyronn Lue is being rewarded for becoming the first coach in league history to bring his team back from a 3-1 deficit to win the NBA Finals.
According to multiple reports, Lue has agreed to a five-year, $35 million contract extension to coach the Cavaliers. The story was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.
Lue took over the Cavaliers on Jan. 22 when general manager David Griffin boldly fired David Blatt with the Cavaliers owning the best record in the Eastern Conference at 30-11.
Lue presented the players with different offensive and defensive philosophies. The Cavaliers pushed the ball up the floor more and became more of a perimeter shooting team. They also became more aggressive defensively. In particular, guard Kyrie Irving had to change the way he played to buy into Lue’s scheme.
It took a while for the changes to set in. The hectic schedule gave the Cavaliers precious little time to practice the way Lue wanted, but in the end it paid off with an historic comeback over the 2015 NBA champion Golden State Warriors. After being down three games to one, the Cavs won three straight to clinch the championship in seven games. To do that they had to win Games 5 and 7 in Oakland, where the Warriors lost only twice all season.
With Lue under contract for an additional five years, the Cavaliers still have some major business to tidy up before training camp begins in two months. LeBron James remains a free agent, although he told ESPN he plans to re-sign with the Cavaliers for a third straight year.
Guard J.R. Smith is also a free agent. He might be more difficult to re-sign. According to Inquisitor.com, the Los Angeles Lakers are pursuing Smith. Smith is reportedly seeking $15 million a year. Smith and the Cavaliers are in negotiations but reportedly are not close to an agreement.
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