CLEVELAND -- Tyronn Lue is joining the Cavaliers as a coach after all. Stitched NBA Jerseys . Lue, who had two interviews during Clevelands recent coaching search but didnt get the job, was hired as an associate head coach on new Cavs coach David Blatts staff. General manager David Griffin was impressed with Lue as he looked for a coach, and believes the former Los Angeles Clippers assistant can help the Cavs rebound from a tough season. "Over the past several weeks, it became clear that Ty could play a key role in our teams future success," said Griffin. "Ty fits our culture and vision for the franchise. His successful experience as both a player and coach is going to help us tremendously. Tyronn Lue joining Coach Blatts staff is more than exciting to all of us here in Cleveland. The leadership and knowledge of Ty is going to be critically important as we move into a new era of competitive Cavaliers basketball." Yahoo! first reported Lues hiring. Lue was one of the finalists to get the Cleveland job before it went to Blatt, who signed a three-year contract with a fourth year club option on Friday. The 55-year-old Blatt has never coached in the NBA -- or the U.S. -- so bringing in a coach with Lues experience will help him and give the Cavs an insurance policy. "I could not be happier that Ty will be joining the Cavaliers coaching staff as my top assistant," Blatt said. "I look forward to leveraging all of his experiences and expertise into our teams development. "This is a character guy and winner himself who played and worked with some of the greatest talents and successful leaders in NBA history. I am thrilled to have him by my side as we get to work in Cleveland." The 37-year-old Lue played guard for 11 seasons with seven NBA teams. He won NBA titles as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000 and 2001. Lue spent the past five years working on Doc Rivers staff in Boston and Los Angeles and is regarded as one of the leagues rising young coaches. Lue thanked Rivers for his "deep support, mentorship and friendship" and "helping prepare me so well for this next step and challenge." Lue sees Cleveland as a great opportunity. "Through numerous discussions with David and Griff, I felt Cleveland is a great situation for me," he said. "I believe my background will help me play a key part in helping achieve the vision that the leadership of this franchise has for its team. I cant wait to get to work with Coach Blatt and our players." As the Cavs consider other candidates to join Blatts staff, they are finalizing plans for Thursdays draft. Cleveland has the No. 1 overall pick for the second year in a row and is expected to select either Duke forward Jabari Parker or Kansas forward Andrew Wiggins. Clearance NBA Jerseys . For the Athletics, hes extremely important at the top of the order, especially with Coco Crisp hurting. Jaso drove in three runs Sunday night, helping Scott Kazmir and Oakland beat the Texas Rangers 9-3. Cheap NBA Jerseys Authentic . On paper, it looks a little like Andre the Giant taking on a midget wrestler. It has all the makings of a rout with the Americans adding an eighth win in nine outings of this biennial event. The Yanks have eight players in the top 15 in the world while the Internationals have just one. https://www.nbachinajerseys.us/ . -- Cole De Vries had a couple of key strikeouts during what could have been the inning that doomed him to defeat against the Kansas City Royals, allowing him to escape further damage and keep the game tied up.Oklahoma City, OK (SportsNetwork.com) - Kevin Durant returned from a six-game absence to score a season-high 44 points with 10 rebounds and lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 137-134 overtime win over the Phoenix Suns. Durant sprained his right ankle after scoring 30 points in the first half at Golden State on Dec. 18, with the Thunder going 3-3 during his absence. Russell Westbrook was ejected late in the first half after making a contested layup, then walking over to the Suns bench and taunting them. He finished with 20 points for the Thunder. That was a heck of a basketball game. Hard fought by both teams, Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. Both teams deserved to win this game. Eric Bledsoe scored a season-high 29 points with eight assists for the Suns, who have lost two straight after a six-game winning streak. Markieff Morris and Goran Dragic had 25 and 21 point, respectively, Durant opened the scoring of the extra session with a pair of free throws 1:24 in, giving Oklahoma City a 130-128 lead. The Suns quickly tied it, but Anthony Morrow hit a 3-pointer and was fouled and converted the free throw to put Oklahoma City up 134-130 with 1:54 left. Andre Roberson came up with two straight offensive rebounds on the Thunders next set, and Durant made two free throws to extend the margin to six. Bledsoe converted a layup, then P.J. Tucker stole the ball from Durant and followed Bledsoes miss for a pputback slam to close the gap. NBA Jerseys Store. Serge Ibaka then missed 3-point try at the other end. Phoenix got a couple of good looks inside in the closing seconds, but another Tucker putback was off. The ball went off Ibaka, however, with 9.5 seconds left. Morris missed a 3-pointer on a third offensive attempt of the possession, and Roberson made 1-of-2 from the line to secure the win. We did a decent job defensively in overtime, we just didnt score, Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said. Morris capped what turned out to be a 13-3 run with a 3-pointer to give the Suns a 126-123 lead late in the fourth quarter, then Durant answered with a trey of his own with 1:24 remaining to tie it. Durant then picked up a long rebound, raced up the court and hit Reggie Jackson, who was fouled and made both free throws to help the Thunder regain the lead. Morris layup at the other end kept the see-saw affair going, then each team missed on their ensuing possessions. Morrows jumper with 1.9 seconds left was off the mark and the game headed to overtime. Oklahoma City led 30-29 after 12 minutes and brought a 64-62 lead into the locker room at half. Durants 3-pointer staked the Thunder to a 100-94 lead entering the fourth. Game Notes There were seven technical fouls in the game ... Ibaka had 15 points ... Oklahoma City scored 25 points off 14 Phoenix turnovers. ' ' '