Cleveland Cavaliers: 4 goals following 2019 NBA All-Star break
By Ryan Piers
2. Determine Drew’s future
The Cavaliers’ final game of the season is April 9. That’s just 48 days away. They’re further from their Jan. 2 loss to Miami than they are to the last game of the 2018-19 season. The offseason will be here before you know it.
At that point, owner Dan Gilbert and general manager Koby Altman must decide if current head coach Larry Drew is part of the team’s future. Countless injuries and multiple trades have left Drew with a revolving door of serviceable players. He’s already tested 20-plus starting lineups.
Amazingly, the team hasn’t spontaneously combusted under all the turmoil. The roster’s most talented player — apart from the often injured Love — is a rookie point guard, and its leading scorer comes off the bench. Somehow, Cleveland is better than three other teams (Chicago Bulls, Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks), with a 12-40 record since Drew took over
If you're not impressed with the job Coach Larry Drew has done with this squad, you're not paying attention.
— Joe Gabriele (@CavsJoeG) December 27, 2018
On the flip side, Drew may not even want the job and he’ll be 61 at the start of next year. The youthful Cavs roster may be better served by someone more relatable.
Perhaps someone like Jordi Fernandez on the Denver Nuggets staff would make sense. He’s just 36 and spent time on the Cavs’ sidelines as an assistant. The 44-year-old Adrian Griffin, who Cleveland interviewed in 2014, could be another option. He’s spent time as in assistant in Orlando, Oklahoma City, Toronto and with team USA.
Drew has done well enough; maybe better than anyone is giving him credit for. But with the recent, frequent coaching changes, Altman must knock this major decision out of the park, or it might be his position that needs replacing before long.