Cavaliers Rumors: Larry Drew Hasn't Committed for Season After Ty Lue Firing

Larry Drew has yet to commit to finishing the 2018-19 NBA season as the Cleveland Cavaliers' interim head coach after the team fired Tyronn Lue, ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Sunday.

According to Wojnarowski, Drew wants to have an agreement in place that keeps him as the coach after this year.

The Cavaliers confirmed Sunday that Lue was out, with Drew being named the interim head coach.

Drew's hesitancy to succeed Lue on a full-time basis is understandable.

For one, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert has burned through a number of head coaches, a rate of turnover that extends to the front office.

A long-term contract wouldn't guarantee Drew stays on as the head coach for years to come but would assure him of a nice payout if Gilbert fired him. Wojnarowski reported Lue still had about $15 million left on the five-year extension he signed with Cleveland in July 2016.

Drew may not bolster his coaching reputation by staying with the Cavs either, which is another consideration he'll have to take into account.

Prior to the start of the season, Lue denied the Cavaliers were focused on rebuilding rather than pushing for a playoff spot after LeBron James signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Now, Cleveland is 0-6 and has the NBA's second-worst net rating (minus-12.6), according to NBA.com. The roster is a bad mix of veteran holdovers from last year's squad and younger players who generally won't be the building blocks for a title contender.

The Cavs have four players signed beyond the 2019-20 season: Kevin Love, Larry Nance Jr., Ante Zizic and Collin Sexton. Cedi Osman is a restricted free agent in 2020, so he could count as a fifth. Together, that group doesn't inspire a ton of excitement for the future.

In the four years after James left and signed with the Miami Heat, Cleveland won 97 combined games, the fewest in the NBA during that span, per Basketball Reference.

Drew or whoever else replaces Lue is likely headed for years of losing as the Cavaliers pick up the pieces following James' second departure.