While it's inherently unfair that the NBA has gotten to the point where the most successful head coaches get the least amount of credit, I like to envision Tyronn Lue's tenure coaching the Cavaliers as one long, drawn out struggle to prove his worth. Every good joke contains a littttttle bit of truth so, however mildly, the man who hypothetically helped to bring Cleveland it's first championship in over 50 years still worries about the optics of his own importance. Clipped to that board might as well be his job security, and - come hell or high maintenance - he's not putting it in the hands of anyone else. And the best part is, not only is that hilarious, but it's a completely legitimate concern. Things are on the up-and-up now, but were not even a week removed from the Cavaliers looking about 100x more dysfunctional than they ever did under David Blatt and he got ousted almost as fast as Isaiah Thomas in a team-wide compatibility contest. Despite both having led their teams to the last two NBA Finals (Lue was an assistant in 2015), Steve Kerr and Tyronn Lue couldn't possibly be in different positions right now. Can you imagine if the latter sat idly by and watching his own roster orchestrate a 46 point win over anyone? The narrative wouldn't be "he's disrespecting his opponent", it would be "AHA, WE FINALLY FOUND THE PROBLEM!". I'm glad the guy who once laughably referred to his job as the hardest in the entire NBA stumbled upon some self awareness, because the fact that - sarcastically or not - he referenced a refusal to leave his team to their own volition like a clingy, overachieving boyfriend is evidence of the opposite. It may come off as insecure, but as the head coach of the most successful organization to consistently need a scapegoat and Kevin Love currently suffering from an ailment that can be proved with an x-ray, you wouldn't be too quick to let yourself look expendable either.
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