This is big IF TRUE…
David Blatt’s main problem was LeBron didn’t respect him because he never challenged him. Tyronn Lue probably noticed this and figured if he was going to succeed he had no choice but to punk LeBron a few times.
According to this report from CBS Sports that is what has happened.
Blatt unwittingly ceded control — and demoralized the rest of the team. By not being comfortable enough to rein in James, the dynamic of the team became one of LeBron and then everybody else.
“They felt they were doing this for LeBron,” the person familiar with the internal workings of the team said, “instead of with LeBron.”
Lue changed that the moment he first told James in a huddle, “Shut the [expletive up]. I got this,” according to a person who heard the exchange — and a few others like it.
Did it really happen that way?
We will never know, but the Cavs do look happier on the court, so you have to give Lue some credit for that.