Tuesday, May 27, 2003
Cleveland will meet with Jeff Van Gundy and Paul Silas again next week.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- The Cleveland Cavaliers got the player they've always wanted. Now, can they get the coveted coach?
Jeff Van Gundy and Paul Silas remain the leading candidates to become the Cavaliers' next coach, general manager Jim Paxson said Friday.
One of them also will be the first pro coach for LeBron James, the high school star the Cavaliers will take with the first overall pick in the June 26 draft. Cleveland got the rights to James by winning the lottery drawing Thursday night.
Top of the list
Van Gundy is the club's preferred choice, but the former New York Knicks coach is waiting to explore other opportunities before deciding whether to return to the NBA.
Van Gundy denied a report that he is headed to Cleveland.
"There's no agreement. There's nothing," the analyst for TNT said during the first half of Friday's Game 3 between San Antonio and Dallas. "They [Cavs] are still in the process of finding a coach."
In addition to Cleveland, there are vacancies in New Orleans, Toronto, with the Los Angeles Clippers and in Houston after Rudy Tomjanovich stepped down Friday.
Paxson wouldn't comment when asked if he had offered Van Gundy or Silas the job. Cavaliers owner Gordon Gund and Paxson have interviewed both candidates, and they'll meet with Van Gundy and Silas again next week.
Gund also has met with Keith Smart, who became the team's interim coach when John Lucas was fired in February. Smart would only be an option for the Cavaliers if they can't reach a deal with Van Gundy or Silas, who was fired by the Hornets on May 4.
Adding James
By landing James, the Cavaliers are a more attractive team to any coach, but Gund doesn't think that would be much of a factor with Van Gundy or Silas.
"I hope this isn't the only reason that [Van Gundy] would do it," Gund said. "It has to make them more interested. It certainly won't hurt. I'm hopeful they would want to come either way. I'm sure it will make a difference. The people we've talked to see the talent in the other players."
Before the lottery, Paxson said he wanted to have a coach in place before the draft. Although the Cavaliers now have the right to pick James, Paxson said he's in no rush to get a coach.
"The lottery, we couldn't control," he said.
"We can control the coaching search. We're moving forward. To give it a timeline? I'm not ready to do that. We feel we have two quality candidates we're talking to specifically.
"It has to be a marriage on both sides," he said.
"It's not just a LeBron issue. It's an overall commitment to getting better."