The Cavs announced Thursday that Larry Drew would not return for next season, beginning the fifth coach search since 2013.
The Cleveland Cavaliers announced Thursday that interim coach Larry Drew would not return to the team for the 2019-20 season after guiding the post-LeBron James Cavs to only 19 wins.
“We have great respect and appreciation for Larry and the job that he did as the head coach of the Cavaliers for nearly the entire 2018-19 campaign. He brought professionalism, class and steady leadership both this past season and prior four years,” General Manager Koby Altman said in a release. “All of us in Cleveland wish Larry nothing but the best going forward.”
For Altman and the team, this will be the fifth time the Cavaliers have searched for a coach since the 2013 season, a stunning mark of instability for a team that went to the NBA Finals for four straight years with James leading the way. However, the team has been marked by instability for years under owner Dan Gilbert.
Drew took over just six games into the season after Tyronn Lue was fired before the end of the first month of the season. The Cavs were 0-6 under Lue at the time. Drew couldn’t do much with a roster that was both bereft of talent and decimated by injury. Power forward Kevin Love played in only 22 games because of injury.
The job could be interesting because the Cavs are in line for one of the top picks in the NBA Draft depending on how the lottery turns out. In addition, Gilbert has shown a willingness to spend on players. However, none of the top players in free agency this offseason — Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler or Kawhi Leonard — have been linked to the Cavaliers.