Ty Lue coached LeBron and the Cavs to an improbable NBA championship – but owes The King some money from their journey together.
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The 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers attained instant status as legends in the NBA. They had just done the unthinkable – coming back from 3-1 down to beat the greatest regular season team of all time – a feat that warranted such status too.
All great teams have great coaches holding the team together. However, the Cavs had a different narrative to them. Ty Lue, their coach was young and unproven as a head coach. Any narrative around the Cavs surrounded a carry job by LeBron James and barely any success was attributed to Lue.
Lue has since changed that narrative and established himself as a respected coach in the league. Currently, the head coach of the LA Clippers, Lue, and LeBron are city rivals clamoring for bragging rights to LA.
The duo isn’t completely detached from each other though. According to Lue, there’s at least a $200 debt that links them together.
Why does Ty Lue owe LeBron James $200?
Man management is arguably the toughest skill to master as a coach. It seems, however, that Lue seemed to have a grip on that department quite early.
Lue, as an amateur coach, took a brave step in managing a bunch of all-stars and veterans with the Cavs. The former Cavs coach demanded a sum of $200 dollars from each player prior to Game 5. At 3-1 down, you would think a $200 punishment for a loss to end their season wouldn’t matter much to millionaire athletes.
That is where we have all been proven wrong. From 3-1 down, we all know what happened. And according to Lue, a demand of $200 from each player with the promise of a return if the team won, worked wonders.
Surely that wasn’t the only move adopted by Lue, but definitely a memorable one. LeBron James, who led the incredible comeback even dropped by and asked Lue for his $200 back.
Ty Lue might have made that promise to drive his stars, but he sure didn’t intend to keep it. Maybe in hope that he could get them going for another couple of games?
Regardless of the plan, Lue got to keep the money and win the championship. And it appears a majority forgot their dues upon seeing the glitter of the championship ring. LeBron certainly did. What’s $200 to a billionaire, anyways?
Why did Lue and the Cavaliers part ways after their successful time together?
After their championship season, the Cavs and Lue made two more trips to the NBA Finals. Two 50-win seasons in his first two full seasons and three NBA Finals appearances make for an impressive resume.
However, things weren’t to be rosy forever in Ohio. Lue and the Cavs first lost Kyrie Irving, and then LeBron James. Without the two all-stars, the Cavs struggled to find an identity. And once they found it, a rebuild was on the charts.
A 0-6 start to 2018-19 and noise surrounding his inability to win without LeBron James eventually marked the end of Lue’s Cavs gig. From ESPN’s Best Coach award to a sack in less than three years – the incredible rise and fall of Ty Lue in Cleveland.
