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Scapegoat thread.
You can't build a team if you can't sign players. Paxon had finally cleared salary room to do some damage.
Cavaliers fire GM Jim Paxson
By TOM WITHERS, AP Sports Writer
April 21, 2005
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Jim Paxson was fired Thursday as general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers, whose stunning second-half collapse this season cost them their first trip to the NBA playoffs in seven years.
Paxson's dismissal has been expected for weeks and came exactly one month after Paul Silas was fired as coach by owner Dan Gilbert, who has had a tumultuous first 50 days running the franchise.
The Cavaliers were 31-21 on Feb. 25, and 34-30 when Silas was fired. But the team fell apart down the stretch despite the play of LeBron James and finished 42-40, losing a tiebreaker with New Jersey for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
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Gilbert, who took over as principal owner from Gordon Gund on March 1, said he released Paxson with two years and $2 million left on the GM's contract because he said change was necessary.
``We felt the team had made progress in the past two years,'' Gilbert said. ``But to get to a championship level we felt we needed to bring our own people in.''
Gilbert also said interim coach Brendan Malone, who went 8-10 after taking over for Silas, will not be a candidate to be the Cavs' next coach. Malone, however, will remain with the organization.
In missing the playoffs again, the Cavaliers wasted an MVP-caliber year from James, who averaged 27.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.2 assists in his second pro season. Gilbert, who made his fortune in online mortgage banking, understands the importance of bringing in better players to complement James.
``We've got who we feel is the best basketball player in the game,'' Gilbert said. ``We need to build a team around him and not settle for mediocrity or a .500 season. We want to win a championship or more.''
Gilbert said he doesn't have names for a possible successor to Paxson. He wants Cleveland's next GM to hire the team's coach.
Gilbert said Paxson handled his dismissal as well as could be expected.
``Jim has been a class act the entire time,'' he said. ``He has a wealth of knowledge and has been the consummate professional.''
A two-time All-Star as a player, Paxson's six-year tenure as Cleveland's GM will be remembered for poor draft picks, a litany of head coaching changes, the arrival of LeBron James, Carlos Boozer's defection as a free agent, but perhaps most importantly, no playoff appearances.
Although critics are quick to point out Paxson's failings, he was also responsible for ridding the team of some burdensome contracts -- leftovers from previous GM Wayne Embry -- that had prevented the Cavaliers from improving with offseason moves.
Paxson traded Shawn Kemp and his four-year $70.8 million contract to Portland in 2000. He also was responsible for freeing the team of deals that Embry and former principal owner Gordon Gund gave to players including Lamond Murray, Bob Sura, Wes Person, Brevin Knight and Cedric Henderson.
Paxson has finally put the Cavaliers in position to spend money on free agents this summer, but now he won't get the chance.
Paxson joined the Cavaliers as their vice president of basketball operations in 1998 and succeeded Embry as GM the following year. He got a contract extension and promotion last July from Gund, who has retained a 15 percent share in the team now owned by Gilbert.
The Cavaliers were 185-307 in Paxson's six seasons in charge.
Scapegoat thread.
You can't build a team if you can't sign players. Paxon had finally cleared salary room to do some damage.
Looks like another owner I am gonna have a hard time liking...
``We felt the team had made progress in the past two years,'' Gilbert said. ``But to get to a championship level we felt we needed to bring our own people in.''
does that mean james is out?
He also was responsible for freeing the team of deals that Embry and former principal owner Gordon Gund gave to players including Lamond Murray
I think Paxson was doing a decent job, and I think Silas is a great coach. Some owners are not too bright when it comes to swinging the axe. I'd of waited to make changes until AFTER the season because "Lebron: Season II" became a waste.
flip saunders is the leading candiate for the coach
after all his great track record in postseason
Well if that ain't a match made in heaven. You'll be able to beat on them for years to come, ducks.
Ownership impatience. It's going to bite the Cavaliers in the ass down the road.
OK, Paxson had two years in the Eastern Conference with LeBron James, and failed to make the playoffs. That's failure. The previous four years of offloading can be excused, but not failure to make the playoffs with LeBron.
I'm curious, was Pax the one who fired Paul Silas or was it ownership? The only thing I see that Pax did wrong was letting Boozer get away, which, I think I've said elsewhere, isn't as big a loss as it seemed at the time. The team's chemistry went to serious sometime after Silas was fired. I think any reasonable person would agree they would very likely have won 1 additional game and therefore made the playoffs if not for those factors. They now get a lottery pick and an assload of cap room. They have zero excuse not to be significantly better next year.
I heard they have no draft pick from someone here
is it true or not I do not know
they might get it since the draft pick might have been protected
the excuse will be they did not sign big z to suck next year
Hey Ginobili is god thanks for mentioning again that your sisters brothers aunts roommates sisters uncle is Jim Paxsons maid, we've never heard that before.
get off it dude, no one cares. Seriously you think you're special
Paxson had two years with LeBron and failed to make he finals. THATS FAILING.
Carmelo (not that I like him) has made it in each year.
Heads had to roll for the cavs they weren't going in the right direction, they just down right COLLAPSED after the all star break.
Um, you need to learn to read. I was asking if Pax fired Silas because I didn't think he did, and I was supporting your position that Pax put the team in a pretty good position for next year, and if ownership hadn't been screwing around, they'd be in the playoffs right now, and that the next guy has no excuse to fail because Paxson has the table set for him. So now that you know I'm agreeing with you on most of this, let me say that the fact that you know the guy doesn't make you more knowledgable about it anyway, it just makes you a name dropper.
Here's something from your rant above that I disagree with: Boozer screwed the Cavs, and he wasn't worth the money he would have been paid by Cleveland, but don't for a second say stupid like Paxson had nothing to do with it. The guy didn't do anything that he should lose his job for, and if the Cavs end up losing LeBron James I'll consider it karma paying them back because Pax was done wrong by the team. I personally don't think it was wrong to terminate Boozer's contract because Boozer absolutely did something so dishonorable I have trouble being able to believe somebody is capable of such a thing, but Pax was definitely involved in the decision, simply by virtue of his job description, and it is, in retrospect, a mistake.
Id have waited till after next year. and see what he would've done witht he 20 million.
What are the chances the Lakers hire Paxson? I mean, are GMs under long-term contracts or anything?
typically when a team buys out a coach/gm's contract they have to give permission for them to take another job during that time frame...ie...if they buy out two years of his contract they can keep him from going to another team for two years...
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