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He slammed James for being passive, for being sloppy with the ball and for letting Draymond Green struck five three-pointers in the very first half.
” Bron was mad, pissed off at me, and after that we went into the locker space at halftime and I told him the very same thing in front of all the guys,” Lue told Lee Jenkins, then of Sports Illustrated. “He seethed again, pissed off again.”
The minute might have been uncomfortable, however it worked.
James ended up the video game with 27 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, and he turned the ball over just once in the second half while holding Green to 1-of-3 from deep after he went 5-of-5 in the very first half.
While most coaches wouldnt have dared upset their superstar with Game 7 of the NBA Finals on the line, Lue knew all the best buttons to push. In the end, he got the outcome he was looking for.
Lues experience in the NBA also works out beyond James.
As a player for 11 seasons and now entering his 10th as a coach, his NBA contact list is legendary.
After he coached James and hung out around some of the greatest gamers and coaches the NBA has actually ever seen, perhaps no one is much better suited to lead Leonard and the Clippers.
As was the case in Cleveland, hes entering into his brand-new task well-prepared.
Lue and David Blatt were the 2 finalists for the Cavaliers head coaching job in 2014 before James had made his decision to return. General supervisor David Griffin liked Lue and wanted him to win the job. Cavs guv Dan Gilbert chose Blatt and his abroad experience instead. Clearly, the individual accountable for writing the checks got the last word.
Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press
Lue consented to sign up with Blatts personnel regardless of losing out on the task, and the Cavs made him the leagues highest-paid assistant at the time. When Blatt was fired in January 2016, Lue didnt even desire the task and was only pressed into taking it in part from recommendations he sought from Doc Rivers, the male hes now replacing in Los Angeles.
Lue spent a half and a year learning more about James, gaining respect from him and those in the locker room beside him. He has spent the previous season as Rivers assistant on the Clippers, already establishing a relationship with the incumbent gamers.
Maybe the most crucial thing a head coach can do is get his star player to buy in to his system, a method that allows all others to fall in line.
While James never ever seemed to respect Blatt or Mike Brown before him in Cleveland, Lue was various.
Lue mentioned that the first thing he did when taking control of as head coach of the Cavaliers was to take a seat with James one-on-one and discuss his vision and what they needed to do together to repair the team.
Lue passed on James action, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic: “Man, T. Lue, Im on board. Whatever you need to do, whatever you need from me, you got it.”
Now, he and Leonard need to have the same conversation.
Certainly, James and Leonard are extremely different players and people. While James has time and time again demonstrated his passion throughout video games and timeouts (for better or even worse), Leonard has actually preferred to lead by example and skip the yelling and yelling.
Neither is wrong or ideal, obviously, as long as the message gets delivered.
Lue is actually more comparable in personality to Leonard. Hes fairly calm on the sidelines, an outstanding observer who rarely selects up technical fouls. His even-keeled disposition must blend in well with Leonard, who got really different training from Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs.
Lue needs to select his spots to prod and push Leonard also, not permitting his superstar to get too comfortable or believe hes doing enough.
Even in their biggest moment together, Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, Lue still challenged James in front of the group. Near halftime, James was on his way to a triple-double and had actually been brilliant while leading Cleveland to a 3-3 tie versus the Golden State Warriors after beginning the series down 3-1. Still, it wasnt sufficient for Lue.
There was a timeout where James would generally discuss Blatt, only this time it was Lue informing James, in front of Cavs colleagues: “Shut the [expletive] up. I got this.”
When Tyronn Lue consented to end up being the head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, as was first reported by ESPNs Adrian Wojnarowski, his biggest obstacle immediately ended up being dealing with a superstar in Kawhi Leonard.
While a lot of coaches can only dream of being offered the chance to deal with a gamer like Leonard, hes only the second-greatest skill Lue, now in his second lead task, has overseen.
Investing two-and-and-half seasons (four overall counting his associate head coach tasks) with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2014-18 has actually prepared Lue not just to deal with a super star on a team ready to complete for champions right now, however likewise to press that gamer by any ways necessary.
Tony Dejak/Associated Press
As a point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, he saw firsthand how Phil Jackson handled the egos of Shaquille ONeal and Kobe Bryant, an experience that ended with a champion ring in 2001. He played along with Michael Jordan with the Washington Wizards, Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki on the Dallas Mavericks and prime Dwight Howard on the 2008-09 Orlando Magic for his last season.
The list of gamers Lue has actually managed as a coach is similarly impressive.
Lue and David Blatt were the 2 finalists for the Cavaliers head coaching job in 2014 before James had actually made his decision to return. Basic manager David Griffin liked Lue and desired him to win the task. Lue is really more similar in personality to Leonard. Even in their biggest moment together, Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, Lue still challenged James in front of the team. Still, it wasnt good enough for Lue.
Besides James, he handled Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love in Cleveland, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce as an assistant under Rivers with the Boston Celtics and Chris Paul and Blake Griffin with the Clippers.
When training James, perhaps thats why Lue never ever blinked.
Having that one-on-one discussion with Leonard is a must, as is getting him to purchase in and trust that Lue can get the Clippers to a champion just as he finished with another superstar little forward on a franchise that had formerly never ever won a title.
He should develop that relationship now so that when things get rocky, which they will, Leonard will have a strong base of trust to draw from, knowing Lue just desires whats best for the group.
James thought in Lues vision, and it ended in three trips to the Finals and a ring. The Clippers have the skill to make a similar run, but only if Leonard does the exact same.
