Cleveland Cavaliers 2009-10 Thread

[CKR13]

LeBron James to meet with Representatives from Six NBA Teams

from yahoo!sports

LeBron James is planning to invite six teams to meet him over the first three days of free agency, and rap mogul Jay-Z and Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov will be part of a New Jersey Nets contingent that will make the first presentation on July 1 in the Akron, Ohio, area, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. James and his advisors plan to have the Nets, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers make presentations. Yahoo! Sports first reported on Thursday night that James would be taking appointments with teams on July 1 to begin his free-agency process.

The Bulls have emerged as the favorites for James, and the Heat and Nets are making a strong push, too. The Knicks and Clippers appear to be longer shots to sign James. The Cavaliers remain a viable choice because of James’ seven seasons there and the opportunity for him to make as much as $30 million more re-signing with his hometown team.

The Nets are hoping the global might of Jay-Z – an idol and mentor to James – and Prokhorov can appeal to James’ desire to be a billionaire athlete with an international platform and profile.

Nets general manager Rod Thorn and coach Avery Johnson will also make the trip, but Thorn has decided to leave his job and retire in July. He hasn’t been happy with the pay cut the new owner has offered, and he also feels that at 69 years old his appetite for the job’s grind has diminished.

Nets ownership will try to move quickly on a replacement, and sources say potential targets will include Oklahoma City GM Sam Presti, New Orleans GM Jeff Bower and San Antonio Spurs GM R.C. Buford. Nets assistant GM Bobby Marks, who has drawn interest in the Portland Trail Blazers’ search, is a strong candidate, too.

The Nets are planning to move into a new Brooklyn arena after playing the next two seasons at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

King James Holding Court.

[CKR13]

Cleveland and Los Angeles Lakers Assistant Coach Brian Shaw set to meet on Monday on talks of a possible head coaching position.

*Tom Izzo, Byron Scott and Brian Shaw; all three are candidates that the Cavs are weighting options.

[CKR13]

I haven't heard a thing. I imagine that the front office (which is still a mess since Ferry left) is only worried about LBJ.

I see. I read an article on hoopsworld entitled: "Players that Cleveland can sign for LeBron James to reconsider any decision of bolting out..." Cleveland can guarantee James the financial security and a free agent signing, preferably a power forward / center that can give 20-10 mileage and some tweeks on the roster for the deficiencies would make LeBron definitely stay. My two cents.

[mvblair]

Any info on whom the Cavs are interested in? I tried my own research but no consistent names are filling from my online sources.

I haven't heard a thing. I imagine that the front office (which is still a mess since Ferry left) is only worried about LBJ.

[CKR13]

Its no surprise that the Cavs are parting ways with Shaquille O'neal. Shaq's vacated salary could net in a bigname in free agency.

Any info on whom the Cavs are interested in? I tried my own research but no consistent names are filling from my online sources.

[LordOfLeyte]

Cavaliers also negotiate with Byron Scott

[LordOfLeyte]

I heard in ESPN radio that Tom Izzo is a strong candidate for the vacated Head Coach position.

[mvblair]

Danny Ferry is the newest casualty:

Ferry Not Returning as Cavs GM - By Johnny Ludden, Yahoo! Sports, June 4, 2010

Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry has parted ways with the franchise less than two weeks after the dismissal of coach Mike Brown, triggering a dramatic reshaping of the team’s brain trust as it desperately tries to retain LeBron James...

...He had said after the Cavaliers’ second-round loss to the Boston Celtics that he would speak with owner Dan Gilbert to decide whether it was best for him to continue as GM. Ferry was disappointed about having to fire Brown, a close confidante from their days with the San Antonio Spurs. Gilbert had initially seemed open to bringing back Ferry, but sources said he ultimately expressed reservation about extending a long-term contract extension.

Assistant GM Chris Grant is taking over for Ferry. Grant had previously turned down the Atlanta Hawks’ GM job two years ago to continue working under Ferry.

[LordOfLeyte]

Kelvin Sampson a Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach are among the candidates that the Cleveland Cavaliers are considering for the vacant Head Coach position.

cbssports

[mvblair]

I'm expecting that the Cavs will part ways with Shaq as the latter is tendering offers from New Jersey for less in which the Cavs will have around $20 Million worth of cap space to sign someone named Bosh or Wade or even Boozer.

Hope is just beyond the horizon for the Cavaliers fans; now let's see on how we can resolve and instill a winning coach.

I hope your right, man. I don't think the Cavs can bring in Wade or Bosh. I'm not exactly sure what our financial situation is, but I think you're right that Shaq won't be back. Varejao and Hickson are capable and there is a good chance Z will be back, too.

[LordOfLeyte]

I'm expecting that the Cavs will part ways with Shaq as the latter is tendering offers from New Jersey for less in which the Cavs will have around $20 Million worth of cap space to sign someone named Bosh or Wade or even Boozer.

Hope is just beyond the horizon for the Cavaliers fans; now let's see on how we can resolve and instill a winning coach.

[mvblair]

When he doesn't have plays enough to make such a team run effectively I guess he should be fired.
Moreover with all those stars just playing like amateurs with his presence I think a change should have been done.
Regular season results are nothing when it comes to playoffs, yes the team was having big numbers in the regular season but I can't give any credit to Mike Brown for that.

That's a pretty good, simple analysis of the situation, I think.

[kerdito]

When he doesn't have plays enough to make such a team run effectively I guess he should be fired.
Moreover with all those stars just playing like amateurs with his presence I think a change should have been done.
Regular season results are nothing when it comes to playoffs, yes the team was having big numbers in the regular season but I can't give any credit to Mike Brown for that.

[mvblair]

As I said before, I have mixed feelings about firing Brown.

I didn't like him until they played in the Finals. Then, I still never liked him very much, but I shut my mouth. He had a great season last year and this year, so how could I complain?

But, when I look at the team, he is the weak spot. We've got good guards, amazing forwards, and good centers. Our bench is pretty strong. I guess the coaching position is the weakest.

[Khalid80]

Cavs fired Brown to make LeBron happy

Updated May 24, 2010 2:05 PM ET

When the final buzzer sounded 11 days ago and the Cleveland Cavaliers' season was officially over, Cavs fans had two serious questions for their team.

1. What will you do to keep LeBron James in Cleveland?
2. Will Mike Brown be fired for the 2010 failure?

Late Sunday night, one of those questions was answered when Brown was fired by Cleveland. But with that move, has the Cavaliers front office answered the other question and, in essence, made their first major step towards keeping LeBron?

Every day, speculation runs rampant on which uniform James will be wearing when the 2010-11 season begins. In all likelihood, a majority of the 30 teams across the NBA are preparing their pitch to King James, but only the Cavaliers are able to discuss contract issues with their superstar until July 1st.

Mike Brown was a big part of the growth of the Cavaliers since his arrival five years ago. He is the man that coached Cleveland to a Finals appearance in 2007 when the team was starting players like Sasha Pavlovic and Larry Hughes, two names that are not likely to be listed amongst the better players in the league. LeBron James was the lone superstar on that squad, and Brown was the savvy coach who won them an Eastern Conference championship.

It's been no secret that Cavs GM Danny Ferry and majority owner Dan Gilbert have been making moves to keep LeBron happy for several years now. Retooling a team and adjusting the roster for maximum potential have always been a priority, and James has hopefully seen that dedication.

Trading two expiring contracts to pick up future Hall-of-Famer Shaquille O'Neal. Grabbing Antawn Jamison for Zydrunas Ilgauskas, then resigning Ilgauskas a month later. Swapping Damon Jones and Joe Smith for All-Star Mo Williams, then picking up Smith again later.

These trades were all designed to improve the cast surrounding LeBron James.


Sunday night, the Cavs simply made another "keep LeBron happy" move when they fired Brown. Brown was part of the rise of this team, but it was apparent that he had taken them as far as he could. It'd be a wise move to search for a new coach who can take them to the next level. But ultimately, this move was made first and foremost for LeBron James.

With a coaching vacancy, James can be part of the process to select the man to lead the Cavs in 2010-2011.

Until today, that was the one bargaining chip that the Chicago Bulls had to lure LeBron into the Windy City. Now the Cavaliers have matched that, and they still have 37 days to discuss options before the free agency market opens up.

The list of replacement coaches is already widening, and it includes some big names.

- Kentucky head coach John Calipari is at the top of the list. Calipari has been seeing his name thrown into the mix since he was seen at Cavs' playoff games with deal-maker William Wesley.

- Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, who has a long-standing friendship with Ferry is now being mentioned.

- Radio talk shows in Cleveland are discussing whether the Cavs should (and would) make an offer to Phil Jackson after the playoffs are over.

Rest assured, none of these men will be offered the job without the approval and the full endorsement of LeBron James.

Dan Gilbert may own the team, and Danny Ferry may be the general manager, but the keys to the Cleveland Cavaliers have just been handed to LeBron James. It's his decision now.

For more news on the Cleveland Cavs and LeBron Watch 2010, check out FS Ohio.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/Lebron-James-reason-Cavs-fired-Mike-Brown

It's true that the Cavs management will do whatever it takes to keep Lebron on their roster