The Cleveland Cavaliers have wasted no time in the pursuit of a new coach after firing Byron Scott last Thursday. They are now heavily interested in rehiring former coach Mike Brown.
Brown met with Cavs owner Dan Gilbert over dinner Sunday night and the meeting went well, but no offer was extended to him, according to several media outlets.
Cleveland initially extended the head coaching position to Phil Jackson over the weekend, after reports surfaced last week that he wanted to return to the game in a front office role. However, Jackson’s representative told the Cavs that he has no interest in the coaching job, according to ESPN.com.
Brown told The Plain Dealer on Thursday that he was in no rush to return to coaching after he was fired by the Lakers after one season and five games. The Lakers still owe Brown about $8 million from his contract.
The Cavaliers and Brown both agreed to think about the possible reunion before speaking with each other again later this week. But the Cavs surely have an eye set on Brown because he is the first candidate to meet with Gilbert.
If Cleveland decides they want to reunite with Brown, they would probably like to have a contract completed before the end of the playoffs. Brown is expected to be at the top of list of several teams as vacancies continue to emerge.
“Moving forward, we’ll look for someone with proven success and look for somebody who is strong defensively with proven systems,” Cavaliers general manager Chris Grant told The Plain Dealer. “We’ll look for somebody who is a teacher. We’ll look for somebody who is a grinder and a worker.”
But media outlets are reporting that Brown is highly intrigued by the job because of All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving and the club’s sizable salary-cap space.
Before being fired by the Cavs in 2010, Brown, who was hired in 2005, had four seasons of 50 or more wins. His best coaching year was during 2008-09 when the Cavs went 66-16 and he won the NBA Coach of the Year.
Brown was quickly fired after LeBron James decided to take his talents the Miami Heat, even though he led the team to a 61-21 record during the 2009-10 season.
If the reunion of Brown and the Cavs occurs, there could be another possible reunion in 2014 when James can opt out of his contract. The Cavs will surely pursue him if they can keep the salary-cap space at a substantial amount.
