Report: Despite Cavaliers' struggles, Ty Lue's job as head coach is safe
The Cleveland Cavaliers suffered yet another embarrassing loss on national TV on Saturday night, losing 120-88 at the hands of the high-powered Houston Rockets.
Now 30-21, the Cavs have a negative point differential, the third-worst defense in the league and are just two games up on the seventh-place Miami Heat. Plus, they'll be without Kevin Love for the next 6-8 weeks after the All-Star forward broke his hand against the Pistons earlier this week.
Amid all of the drama and poor play, it seems the Cavs will do something to shake things up. One thing they reportedly won't be doing, though, is firing head coach Ty Lue. According to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski, Lue's job is safe.
Story filed to ESPN: Despite losing 12 of 18 games – including a 120-88 loss to Houston – Cleveland coach Ty Lue’s job is safe. “We are not firing our head coach,” one Cavaliers official told ESPN. Cavs will keep working to improve team prior to Thursday’s NBA trade deadline. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 4, 2018
Given the recent injury to Love, and the fact that the team is still trying to integrate Isaiah Thomas into the lineup, it seems fair to give Lue some more time. Perhaps they will eventually come to the decision that he needs to go, but it makes sense to try and improve the roster and see what happens after doing that.
But this likely doesn't mean that Lue's job is safe forever. If the Cavaliers are still a mess a few weeks after the All-Star break, the front office may decide a coaching change is its best bet to try to turn things around before the playoffs.