New Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue wants G Kyrie Irving and F Kevin Love to "care more" about the on-court results than their off-court business dealings, according to Joe Vardon of the Cleveland PLAIN DEALER. Lue prior to his first game as coach on Saturday was asked to compare the Celtics' former trio of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to the Cavaliers' group of Irving, Love and LeBron James. Lue, who was an assistant coach on those Celtics teams, said, "It was late in their careers, so they had to win a championship now. With our young stars, with Kyrie and Kevin, they're young, so it's still about their brand and different things, it's just way different." He added, "I talked to our team about, 'if you win, everybody's brand is better.'" Irving said, "Our brands are the last thing we're worried about. If Kevin was worried about his brand, I don't think Kevin would've came back. And for me to sign here, it was for a legitimate reason and we have a bigger goal at hand that we want to accomplish" (CLEVELAND.com, 1/26). The L.A. Times' Bill Plaschke said, “It never struck me that Kevin Love or Kyrie Irving ... are being a slave to their brands, not at all. LeBron has more brands than anybody on that team.” The Washington Post’s Kevin Blackistone: “I don't know what he’s talking about in terms of brand. The only thing these guys need to do is win the NBA championship” (“Around The Horn,” ESPN, 1/26). Irving appears in national TV commercials for Pepsi and Nike, and counts Foot Locker, Panini and Post Foods among his other endorsement deals. Likewise, Love stars in national campaigns for State Farm and MilkPEP, while also endorsing BodyArmor and Taco Bell, among others (THE DAILY).
