CLEVELAND _ Larry Drew said he received a text from Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue at 1:30 a.m. Monday that said, " 'It's your show. I need to take a break for a minute.' "
Well aware of the health and sleep deprivation issues Lue has been battling this season, Drew said he answered, " 'Don't you worry about anything else, don't you focus on anything else. The most important thing is for you to get well.'
"I didn't get a text back from him until this morning," Drew said. "It was kind of a 'Thank you, I appreciate it and I'll be in touch.' "
The Cavs announced that Lue was stepping away for the time being and that associate head coach Drew would serve as acting coach. In a statement, Lue said along with trouble sleeping, he had been experiencing chest pains and other troubling symptoms.
Lue, 40, led the Cavs to the 2016 NBA championship after being promoted when David Blatt was fired midway through that season. This Cavs season has been fraught with stress and injuries, starting when Kyrie Irving demanded a trade over the summer. Then general manager Koby Altman rebuilt the roster, sending out six and adding four new players on Feb. 8.
TNT's David Aldridge reported via Twitter that Lue is on a one-week plan to address his health and hopes to return to the bench next week.
"I think it's probably well overdue," four-time league MVP LeBron James said after shootaround. "Understanding what he's been going through throughout the season. Obviously health is the most important thing of everything in life. I'm not surprised by it."
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.
"What T-Lue has shown, he has shown the warrior that he is," Drew said. "If you'd have left it up to him, he'd be sitting in his chair right now instead of me. That's just the way he is. He doesn't want to miss games, he doesn't want to miss practices. He wants to be with the team. But there comes a point where you have to take a step back and you really have to assess things. I think that's what Koby did. This thing has been kind of lingering just a little bit too long. T-Lue needs to step away and allow himself to heal before joining the team.
"I've known him and I've been around him. This is our fourth (year) together. I know he can be a little hard-headed at times. But if he feels that he can be out there, he's certainly going to do everything in his power to be out there. But this is one of those situations where the best thing for him to do was to kind of step away just a little bit to kind of regroup and get healthy both mentally and physically and then rejoin the team."
Drew, 59, has 25 years of NBA coaching experience, four in charge. The Bucks went 15-67 under Drew in 2013-14. In his previous three seasons in Atlanta, the Hawks were 128-102, 44-38 in his final season in 2012-13. A University of Missouri product, Drew played 10 years in the NBA for four teams.
Drew said he will continue to use things Lue implemented.
"We will tweak some things, add some things, but for the most part we will do what we have been doing," Drew said. "I don't want to confuse the guys. I just want our guys to play hard, play with some energy and play with some intensity now that we're getting some bodies back."
Kevin Love returned from a fractured left hand against the Bucks and Drew said Tristan Thompson (sprained right ankle) and Larry Nance Jr. (sore right hamstring) should be back soon.
In the team statement, Lue said, "After many conversations with our doctors and Koby and much thought given to what is best for the team and my health, I need to step back from coaching for the time being and focus on trying to establish a stronger and healthier foundation from which to coach for the rest of the season.
"I have had chest pains and other troubling symptoms, compounded by a loss of sleep, throughout the year. Despite a battery of tests, there have been no conclusions as to what the exact issue is. While I have tried to work through it, the last thing I want is for it to affect the team. I am going to use this time to focus on a prescribed routine and medication, which has previously been difficult to start in the midst of a 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 thanked owner Dan Gilbert, 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 the statement.
"I knew he was struggling, but he was never not himself," James said. "He was just dealing with it the best he could. Once he leaves the gym and goes home ... there's things we don't know. But he was the same every single day even though he was going through what he was going through."
Lue is not the first NBA coach to step away this season. Charlotte Hornets coach Steve Clifford took a five-week medical leave for debilitating headaches caused by stress and sleep deprivation.
