CLEVELAND (Ohio) • Larry Drew no longer has to worry about being the "voice" of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the acting coach, or any other atypical distinction.
He will simply be their head coach, the team announced on Monday, with ESPN reporting that his deal has been extended to the end of this season and included a partial guarantee for the next.
"We are pleased to have reached this agreement with coach Drew to continue leading the team on the court," Koby Altman, Cleveland's general manager, said.
"He brings important experience and many qualities that we expect to translate well with our team as the head coach."
Drew, who took over on a temporary basis after the Cavaliers fired Tyronn Lue on Oct 29, initially took issue with the nomenclature of his role - a protest that was largely about his desire to renegotiate his contract - but even with that settled, he still faces the difficult task of getting the team back on track in the wake of LeBron James' departure.
The team started 0-6 under Lue, leading to the 2016 championship-winning coach's dismissal, and are now 1-3 under Drew after Monday's 102-100 loss to the Orlando Magic.
Aaron Gordon had 23 points as the Magic won back-to-back games for the first time this season, while George Hill led Cleveland with 22 points.
Drew, who has cited the team's transition defence as their biggest weakness, told reporters that it will take some time to right the ship.
"We're going to have to keep showing (the mistakes) on film, keep practising and going through it. It's not going to happen overnight," he said.
Complicating matters is the extended absence of five-time All-Star Kevin Love, the team's most prominent player.
The forward was averaging 19 points a game but has been injured since Oct 24 and is not likely to return for another six weeks.
Drew, 60, has been with the Cavaliers since 2014, serving as an assistant coach for two years before being promoted to associate head coach in 2016-17.
He coached the team to an 8-1 record during Lue's medical absence last year and had previously been a head coach in Atlanta, where he coached the Hawks to a 128-102 record from 2010-13, and Milwaukee, where he had a 15-67 record with the Bucks in the 2013-14 season.
NY TIMES
