yesterday article
Cavaliers remain in holding pattern
By Brian Windhorst, Beacon Journal sports writer
Until the Detroit Pistons finish their playoff run, the Cavaliers will likely remain grounded.
Pistons coach Larry Brown is believed to be Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert's top choice to become his president of basketball operations. The team is expected to wait on Brown's answer before proceeding to fill general manager and head coach openings.
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According to a source close to the search, Gilbert was impressed with Pacers associate head coach Mike Brown after his interview for the Cavaliers' vacant coaching job earlier this week. But while he might have become a leader in the search, things could change if Larry Brown comes aboard.
NBA insiders suggest that if he leaves the Pistons and chooses not to coach again, Larry Brown could look to former assistant John Calipari as a candidate to work for him as a coach in Cleveland.
Calipari just completed his fifth season as the coach at the University of Memphis, where his teams have gone 115-55. He was on Larry Brown's staff at the University of Kansas and with the Philadelphia 76ers.
He went 72-112 in two-plus seasons as coach and vice president of the New Jersey Nets from 1996-98, leading the team to the playoffs in 1998. He was also a successful coach at the University of Massachusetts.
Calipari was traveling Thursday and unavailable for comment.
He is signed with Memphis until 2010 but has been a candidate for other high-profile college jobs and NBA positions in recent years.
Mike Brown, 35, is regarded as one of the brightest young coaching candidates in the league. A coach that makes defense his top priority is believed to be very important to Gilbert, and Mike Brown has a reputation as an excellent defensive coach. He also has some minor ties to Larry Brown, as he worked for one of his friends, Gregg Popovich, in San Antonio.
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