Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue will step away from the team indefinitely due to an illness, the team announced Monday. Lue missed parts of all of the team’s last three games with an unknown illness that has affected him all year.
“I have had chest pains and other troubling symptoms, compounded by a loss of sleep, throughout the year,” Lue said in a statement. “Despite a battery of tests, there have been no conclusions as to what the exact issue is.”
In the interim, associate head coach Larry Drew will coach the Cavaliers. Drew has two head coaching stints on his resume — with the Atlanta Hawks from 2010 to 2013, and for the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2013-14 season.
“My goal is to come out of it a stronger and healthier version of myself so I can continue to lead this team to the championship we are all working towards,” Lue said.
Lue thanked owner Dan Gilbert, general manager Koby Altman, the Cavs’ medical team and organization for its “support throughout.”
“We know how difficult these circumstances are for Coach Lue and we support him totally in this focused approach to addressing his health issues,” Altman said in a statement.
Drew will address the media at 5:15 p.m. Monday at Quicken Loans Arena.
During Saturday’s victory at Chicago, Lue remained in the locker room after halftime with an illness. It marked the third time this season that Lue had been forced to leave or miss a game.
On Feb. 6 at Orlando, he departed in the second quarter and did not return. Drew also took over before a home game against the Bulls on Dec. 21, when Lue was too sick to work.
The Cavs are 40-29 and third in the Eastern Conference, one half game up on Washington.
