Taking Time Off

It happened to Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors because of a bad back. He had to take time off.

It happened to Frank Vogel of the Orlando Magic because he could not sleep. He needed about a month away from the job.

Now Tyronn Lue of the Cleveland Cavaliers is on what amounts to a disabled list for coaches.

After having to leave the bench during recent games due to an unspecified illness, Lue has decided to take some time off before he gets any worse and the pressure ratchets up further during the endless grind of the NBA playoffs. He said he hopes to be back in a week.

Between travel and practices, games, breaking down game tapes and trying to have a life, coaches get stretched to the breaking point. Smart ones know when it’s time to give themselves and their team a break.

When the Miami Heat returned from a seven-day, three-game road trip that swung through Los Angeles, coach Erik Spoelstra gave the team two days off before its Monday game with the Denver Nuggets.

The Cavaliers turned to assistant Larry Drew to fill in for Lue as they played the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night. Drew played 10 years in the NBA and should handle the team well until he returns.

Coaches are always the ones giving pointers and instructions. Sometimes, difficult as it may be, they listen … to their bodies.

 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman