Report: Coach Larry Drew 'Very Disappointed' With Contract Negotiations With Cavaliers
Contract talks between the Cavaliers and assistant coach Larry Drew have stalled as the team tries to transition Drew into the interim head coach role, Adrian Wojnarowski and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com report.
Drew previously said he wants to be a part of Cleveland's long-term rebuild and he told reporters he was not the interim coach as the team had initially announced when it fired Tyronn Lue, but instead Drew says he is the acting coach, and compared his job to that of a substitute teacher.
According to ESPN, Drew was told the team could bring in a new head coach from outside the organization, but they have not been aggressive in their search so far. Drew's deal with the Cavaliers expires in July, and it is unclear how long he will continue as acting coach without getting his contract restructured so he makes more money in the interim position.
Drew said he is weighing his options in case a deal with Cleveland isn't reached, but added he "would never quit." He also noted he "was told that there could be a possibility of them just bringing in somebody else to finish out the year and then I can move back into my original position as an associate head coach."
• Tyronn Lue Is Better Off Without the Cavaliers
"There are no updates, which I'm very disappointed about," Drew said Tuesday about his contract negotiations with the team, according to ESPN. "I'm going to be professional and I'm going to do my job. It's been close to 72 hours."
On Tuesday, the Cavaliers picked up their first win of the season, defeating the Hawks 136-114 to move to 1-6.
As the team tries to handle its coaching situation, it is also figuring out what to do with some of its more popular veteran players. Former starter JR Smith was taken out of the rotation recently and didn't play Tuesday as the Cavaliers try to focus on playing some of their younger players going forward. After getting the news he would no longer be guaranteed regular playing time, Smith reportedly considered taking some time away from the team, but for now he has decided to stay.
Cleveland is also looking at trading Kyle Korver, who was the subject of some trade talks during the summer. Some other veteran players could also get moved going forward, according to ESPN. The team is already without All-Star big man Kevin Love, who could potentially be sidelined for more than a month with a toe injury.
The Cavaliers host the Nuggets on Thursday.
