A decision on who will be the next Cavaliers coach is apparently imminent. Reports vary on which team - Cavs included - LeBron James might sign with.
The Lakers' Kobe Bryant (left) defends the Cavaliers' LeBron James. If James stays with the Cavs, he could play for a coach with strong Lakers' ties - Brian Shaw or Byron Scott.Cleveland, Ohio -- Within the next week or two, the Cleveland Cavaliers could be either a significantly different team, or an unrecognizably different team than the one we've grown accustomed to.
Coach Mike Brown was fired after the Eastern Conference semifinal round playoff loss to the Boston Celtics, and the Cavs and Danny Ferry did not agree to renew his contract as general manager.
Chris Grant has been promoted from assistant general manager to fill Ferry's spot. Further change we are assured of is the hiring of a new coach. Even more dramatic will be whether LeBron James chooses to stay with the Cavaliers or move on to another team.
As Plain Dealer Cavaliers beat writer Brian Windhorst reports, the Cavs would like to hire a new coach by Thursday. Why Thursday? Because James becomes a free agent on Thursday at 12:01 a.m., and if the Cavaliers can have a coach in place who is respected by James, it could help the team keep the NBA's two-time MVP.
(UPDATE)
(Click here to read Brian Windhorst's latest on LeBron James' free agent status. Click here to read Windhorst's update on the Cavaliers' coach search.)
Apparently, the leading candidates for the coaching job are former Los Angeles Lakers guards Brian Shaw and Byron Scott. Shaw is a Lakers assistant coach and Scott is a proven head coach, having led the New Jersey Nets to the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003. Whether Phil Jackson decides to stay as the Lakers coach or retire could impact any decisions the Cavaliers, Shaw and Scott make. Both Shaw and Scott would have a strong interest in coaching the defending champions if Jackson steps down.
Mark Cameron profiles Shaw for cavstheblog.com. Included in the points he makes:
In fact, there have been reports that suggest LeBron is interested in playing for a coach that used to play in the league, with the belief that he would respect someone more if they have been in his shoes. This train of thought also helps to explain the void that sometimes arose between him and Brown in games. Additionally, a rumor back in May went as far as to suggest that Shaw was being pitched around the league because LeBron was “intrigued by the triangle offense.”
Bringing in Brian Shaw as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers is a big move in and of itself due to the fact he’ll command respect. Back in 2007 Shaquille O’Neal, who may or may not be back with the team next season, said he respected Shaw more than any other teammate in his career.
Ready to go
Meanwhile, Scott would like to coach the Cavaliers regardless of what James and Jackson do, writes Marc J. Spears for Yahoo! Sports:
“I’m not sitting and waiting on Phil Jackson,” Scott said. “That ain’t me. I’m not waiting on anybody.”
Scott is hopeful James will return to the Cavaliers. He hasn’t spoken directly to James, but has talked to people in his camp, who say there’s a “50-50” chance James re-signs with Cleveland.
“He’s a loyal guy,” Scott said. “He wants to win.”
Without James, the Cavaliers would instantly transform from a title contending team to a rebuilding franchise. Scott isn’t fearful of that possibility because he’s been in similar situations coaching the New Jersey Nets and New Orleans Hornets.
“I would coach there without LeBron,” Scott said. “But they got a good shot at getting him back. Without him, they would probably go from 60 wins to 30 wins. But [without James], it’s still a better job than when I first started in New Jersey, and it’s still a better job than when I first started in New Orleans.”
SI says Cavs
Ian Thomsen takes a look at free agency for Sports Illustrated's SI.com. He writes:
All season I've named the Cavs as favorites to re-sign James, especially if he chooses to sign a three-year deal in order to opt out again in 2012. But their failed attempt to hire Tom Izzo -- a coach with no NBA experience -- revealed a troubling misunderstanding of what is needed to win a championship around James as soon as possible. Can they persuade James to stay while pulling off a sign-and-trade for a star to pair with him? Call me stubborn but I think they can.
Prediction: He signs a short-term deal with Cavaliers; Bulls, Knicks and Heat in running.
Forget it, NY
The Canton Repository carries an Associated Press report sketching the teams that want to sign James. About why the New York Knicks will find it difficult to get James' signature:
Mired in franchise-worst stretch of nine straight losing seasons. ... Moves to clear salary have left little remaining talent. ... One of the league’s poorest defensive teams, and James values good defense. ... Enormous media presence may be a turnoff to James.
So, what if?
Various reports have likely left many Bulls' fans confident that James will go to Chicago. The Chicago Sun-Times' John Jackson ponders what the Bulls will do if they don't get James. Jackson writes:
Will anything the Bulls do other than signing James be considered a failure?
The short answer is that it will be a disappointment but not necessarily a failure.
From the moment the Bulls decided a couple of years ago to do what they could to become major players on the free-agent market this summer, the plan wasn't necessarily to sign James. It was to put themselves in position to make a big-time signing.
Fading
The New York Post's George Willis comments that it's not looking good for the Knicks in their attempts to land James.
Willis writes:
You can almost hear it now. In a few days, the Knicks will tell us they did all they could to convince LeBron James to come to New York, but through no fault of their own he made other plans with his free agency.
The Knicks will then try to convince us that despite losing James, they’re happy with their Plan B: signing Joe Johnson and Amar’e Stoudemire to max contracts.
If you read the tea leaves on the NBA free agency that begins at midnight Wednesday night, that may well be the Knicks’ best-case scenario, unless you believe Garden owner James Dolan can somehow turn into Mr. Personality and convince LeBron that playing for the Knicks is the best thing he could ever do.