Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue is temporarily stepping down from head coaching duties because of health concerns.
During Saturday’s win in Chicago, Lue didn’t return from the locker room after halftime.
In a statement released Monday morning, Lue said he was taking a break to focus on a prescribed routine and medication.
Assistant Coach Larry Drew will take over.
At a Monday team shootaround in Independence, LeBron James said Lue’s health has been a concern for a while but he had tried to work through it.
“It’s like losing one of your best players, obviously, a guy that’s pretty much the captain of our ship and who has run the thing for the last three years,” said James.
Lue said the exact cause of his sleeplessness, chest pains and other symptoms is not clear despite a number of tests.
The Cavs play their 70 th game of the season Monday night.
With twelve games left after that, the injury-riddled team is in a tight race for the third seed in the Eastern Conference