Just a few days into his new gig, and Tyronn Lue has been tabbed to coach the Eastern Conference NBA All-Star team next month in Toronto.
BREAKING: @cavs new head man Tyronn Lue to coach East @NBAAllStar squad. pic.twitter.com/0VGtGHyozJ
— NBA.com (@NBAcom) January 28, 2016
It became official Wednesday night immediately following the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 115-93 win against the visiting Phoenix Suns.
LeBron James will join Lue in The 6 as a starter.
Per the Akron Beacon Journal:
The Cavs matched their season high with 34 assists Wednesday and shot 56 percent. After a sluggish first half, they forced nine turnovers in the third quarter and turned them into a staggering 20 points. […] Kyrie Irving and J.R. Smith each had a pair of steals in the third. Smith fed LeBron James for a couple of lob dunks. All in all, it was pretty much how they want to play every night.
For all the emphasis on the faster pace and the wide-open offense, the defense has been sacrificed. Granted, it’s an extremely small sample size of just three games, but teams are shooting nearly 47 percent against the Cavs since the coaching change, which ranks 18th in the league. They were ninth (44 percent) under David Blatt. It’s far too early to draw any concrete conclusions, but it’s certainly something to monitor. […] Speaking of the defense, Mike Longabardi was officially added to the Cavs’ coaching staff on Wednesday. Talk about going from stomping the grapes to drinking the wine: Longabardi has gone from the woeful Suns to unemployed to an All-Star team coach in the span of about a month.
“He’s won 66 percent of his games so far,” Kevin Love joked. “I don’t think it’ll be his last time coaching the All-Star game. We’re happy for him.” […] The league made the official announcement immediately after Wednesday’s game concluded. The Cavs clinched the best record in the East by the Jan. 31 deadline, assuring Lue the job despite just recently receiving the Cavs job.
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