05-29-2005, 01:18 PM
|
#1 (permalink)
|
|
The Living Legend | ANDRE
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 7,710
|
All eyes on Brown(s)
Cavaliers reportedly tell Pistons coach they need an answer by Monday
Quote:
Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert wants to add a legendary face to the franchise.
Even though that "face" probably won't be available for employment for another month at the earliest, Gilbert needs to move forward.
League sources have indicated that Gilbert has informed Pistons coach Larry Brown (or his representatives) that he needs an answer by Monday on whether he'll accept the job as the Cavaliers president of basketball operations.
The flirtation process with Brown has gone on for weeks. It has been rumored in Cleveland since the firing of Cavaliers general manager Jim Paxson on April 21, but it became national news when the New York Times caught wind of it Tuesday.
Normally, teams don't talk to candidates involved in the playoffs. However, the Cavaliers received permission from Tom Wilson, the president of Palace Sports & Entertainment, to speak with Brown. That formality was needed because Brown still has three years remaining on a five-year, $30 million contract.
Gilbert has come to realize that if he waits and Brown declines his offer, the Cavaliers will be left out in the cold by other candidates. Teams are in the midst of draft preparation and free agency. They don't want their front-office executives to do all the legwork on the draft, for instance, and then bolt two weeks before the big day. Brown, 64, won't be able to take over control of the Cavaliers for quite some time. He faces Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals against Miami at 8:30 tonight at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Not only are the defending champion Pistons a favorite to earn a spot in the NBA Finals, but Brown has major health concerns stemming from his hip-replacement surgery in November. He's had complications with his bladder, which led to a second surgery on March 14.
He said he would check himself into the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., at the conclusion of the season.
The Cavaliers need to know if they are bringing Brown on board.
Sources indicate the people Gilbert has targeted to fill out the rest of his front office are both employed by the Indiana Pacers - front-office executive David Morway and associate head coach Mike Brown.
Sources say Morway, 44, the Pacers' vice president of basketball administration, would probably not become the Cavaliers' general manager if Larry Brown were hired. Normally, a president of a team would want his own guy as the GM, and there's no tie between Larry Brown and Morway.
Larry Brown remains close friends with Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh - they worked together in the ABA in Denver and later with the Pacers - but has no relationship with Morway.
If Larry Brown is hired, it's unclear what direction the Cavaliers would take with their GM. Other known candidates interviewed were Spurs director of basketball operations Danny Ferry, Nuggets assistant GM Jeff Weltman, Nets GM Ed Stefanski and former Magic GM John Gabriel.
Gilbert tried to interview Nuggets GM Kiki Vandeweghe, but he didn't get permission from ownership. He also chatted with Grizzlies president Jerry West, who had no interest in the job.
Sources say Larry Brown is interested in Mike Brown, and reportedly gave his approval for a possible hire as Cleveland's coach.
He said recently that his goal is to coach the Pistons next year. However, if health reasons don't permit that, he'd still like to continue in basketball in some capacity, which possibly opens the door for the Cavaliers. Some think his exit strategy in Detroit is already in place.
His medical condition is serious, but not life-threatening. He will likely need additional surgery.
"I don't want to get into what I would do if I can't coach," Brown told Detroit writers. "My goal is to coach. As recently as last week, I told (Pistons president Joe Dumars) I had an appointment to get checked as soon as the season was over, and I would be able to let him know as soon as possible."
What has bothered Brown even maybe more than his health problems is the fact that all of this surfaced during the East finals.
"This is my last coaching job," Larry Brown said. "The only place I'm going to coach next season - or ever - is Detroit."
|
|
|
|
All eyes on Brown(s)
Linear Mode
