Cleveland Cavaliers Blog – Page 89 – NBA Blog

Clippers statement on LeBron James meeting

“We can only surmise how the meeting went from our standpoint, and from our standpoint, it went very well. We approached it in a very honest and direct way, and we felt that their reaction was considerate and receptive.”

“We’re not going to go into any details about the meeting’s specifics. But it was our goal to present tangible and very obvious reasons as to why we think LeBron choosing our organization is his best option: we clearly have the best team already in place for him to join, we have the best city, the best arena, the best practice facility – overall the best situation.”

“By communicating all of that in a sincere way, we accomplished our preliminary goal.”

“Now what we can do is wait and see how it all resonates, plus continue to be comprehensive in our efforts to improve our team for the upcoming season.”

“No matter what, we’re getting at least one great new player this summer: his name is Blake Griffin.”

Cavaliers hire Byron Scott as head coach

The Cleveland Cavaliers have named 26-year NBA veteran Byron Scott as the team’s new head coach, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today from Quicken Loans Arena, in downtown Cleveland.

Coach Scott, 49, played in the NBA for 14-years, primarily with the Los Angeles Lakers where he participated in winning three championships in 11 seasons with the team. After retiring from the NBA, Coach Scott played one season overseas (1997-98), winning a championship for Pananthinaikos in Greece.

He then went on to coach 12 seasons in the NBA, 10 of them as a head coach. After two seasons (1998-2000) in Sacramento as an assistant to Kings’ Head Coach Rick Adelman, Byron was named head coach of the New Jersey Nets where he led the franchise to back-to-back Eastern Conference Championships and back-to-back NBA Finals appearances in his 2nd and 3rd seasons as the Nets’ head coach.

Coach Scott has the 8th highest career playoff game appearances as a player and head coach combined in NBA history and is within 15 more playoff game appearances from moving to ranking 4th in NBA history. In addition, Coach Scott’s .579% winning career playoff percentage is the 4th highest among all current NBA head coaches. trailing only Phil Jackson, Gregg Popovich and Stan Van Gundy.

“Byron’s combination of high-level success and depth of experience, both as a head coach and as a player, is a tremendous asset for our organization. He is a strong leader with a proven track record of winning in both the regular season and the playoffs. We’re confident Coach Scott will positively impact the strong culture we have put in place here in Cleveland over the past five years.” said Cavs General Manager Chris Grant. “We’re very excited for Coach Scott to get started. His experience and leadership will be a critical element in our drive to achieve the franchise’s ultimate goal.”

After four seasons with New Jersey, Coach Scott was hired by the New Orleans Hornets where he improved the Hornets by 38 wins, from a lowly 18 victories in 2004-05 to a 56-win campaign just three years later in 2007-08. This win total is the New Orleans’ franchise record and earned Coach Scott the Red Auerbach trophy as the 2007-08 NBA Coach of the Year. Coach Scott also led the Hornets to an appearance in the Western Conference Semifinals that same season, as well as leading the Western Conference All-Star Team as its head coach in the NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans where, ironically, the west lost to the eastern conference, and its All-Star Game MVP, LeBron James.

In his second year with the Hornets during the 2005-06 season, Coach Scott guided the Hornets to a 38-44 record, an NBA best 20-game win improvement from his first season in New Orleans, despite Hurricane Katrina displacing the team from its hometown and forcing the Hornets to play in four different home arenas throughout the 2005-06 campaign. Coach Scott followed the 2007-08 effort by leading the Hornets to 49 regular season wins and back to the playoffs in 2008-09.

Prior to his stint in New Orleans, Coach Scott led the New Jersey Nets to the most successful run in franchise history. In his first season in 2000-01, he spearheaded rebuilding a New Jersey team with a 26-56 record before guiding them to a franchise-high and Eastern Conference best 52-30 record followed by the Nets’ first-ever trip to the NBA Finals in 2001-02. The 26-win improvement marked the sixth-largest year-to-year improvement in NBA history and the team also won its first Atlantic Division title in franchise history. Scott also earned head coaching honors for the 2002 Eastern Conference All-Stars. (Coach Scott is one of just six coaches to earn the honor for both conferences)

The following season (2002-03) he guided the Nets back to the NBA Finals after winning a second consecutive Atlantic Division title.

“I want to thank Chris Grant and Dan Gilbert and the entire ownership group for this great opportunity. In meeting with Dan and Chris I could tell they have a solid team and family approach to everything and that really impressed me,” said the Cavaliers’ new skipper, Byron Scott. “The deeper we got into these discussions, the better I felt about the situation. This is a great job and an impressive organization and I am very happy to be a part of it. Everything about it just felt like a really good fit for both me and the team. I am anxious to get going and to build on the success the Cavaliers have experienced in recent years.”

Prior to his successful coaching career, the Inglewood, California native enjoyed an outstanding NBA playing career. Selected 4th overall in the first round of the 1983 NBA Draft, by the San Diego Clippers, Scott played 14 seasons with three different teams (the Lakers, Indiana Pacers and Vancouver Grizzlies), winning three NBA titles with the Lakers in 1985, 1987 and 1988 as a key starter on the Lakers famed ‘Showtime’ era teams.

In 1,073 games (717 starts), the 6-foot-4 guard averaged 14.1 points on .482 shooting, 2.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 28.1 minutes per game. In 183 postseason games (122 starts), he posted career playoff averages of 13.4 points on .482 shooting, 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 29.3 minutes per game. Coach Scott has been a consistent winner as both a player and a coach. In his 14-year playing career, Scott experienced 12 winning seasons and his team reached the playoffs in 13 of those 14 seasons.

The Cavaliers new head coach attended Arizona State, where he finished his career as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,752 points. As a senior, he was named First Team All-Pac 10 after averaging 21.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists.

Off the court, Coach Scott’s non-profit organization, The Byron Scott Children’s Fund, has raised more than $6 million dollars over the past decade, with the proceeds going to various children’s charities.

Cavaliers to hire Byron Scott as coach

Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports:

When Byron Scott went to bed Tuesday night he was convinced he was not going to be the Cavaliers head coach. About 24 hours later he was agreeing to take the job. It will become official today.

After an overnight negotiating session, sources said, Scott reached an agreement in principle on a three-year contract to take over the Cavs on the same day that LeBron James became a free agent. The deal is expected to be finalized and announced by the Cavs today.

Scott took the job while on a trip with family to Arkansas and limited cell phone range actually slowed down the process late Wednesday.

Dwyane Wade gives Heat a wish-list of free agent targets

Michael Wallace of the Miami Herald reports:

Dwyane Wade has given the Miami Heat his “wish list” of potential targets he wants team president Pat Riley to pursue when free agency opens at 12:01 a.m. Thursday.

Landing the services of LeBron James and either Amare Stoudemire or Chris Bosh in Miami would be the beginning of the kind of championship makeover Wade seeks this summer.

Wade stopped short of offering names of the marquee players he discussed with Riley in recent weeks. But the Heat’s star guard repeatedly mentioned James and Bosh when he talked about players who instantly could push a team to title contention.

Talk of James and Bosh coming to Miami intensified Monday amid national speculation the two were leaning toward joining Wade, with each taking slightly less money than the maximum they could command.

Cavs like Brian Shaw, Byron Scott

Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal reports:

While the Cavaliers await a decision on LeBron James’ future, their coaching search appears to be nearing the final stages.

Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw arrived in town Monday and will continue meetings with owner Dan Gilbert and General Manager Chris Grant today, the team confirmed. The Cavs would like to make a decision on their next coach today, according to a source with knowledge of their plans, although a ”decision” does not necessarily mean a contract offer today.

By the conclusion of the interviews with Shaw, however, the team will probably choose between him and Byron Scott.

Shaw, who is represented by CAA Sports, the same firm that represents James, is the second known candidate, after Michigan State’s Tom Izzo, to be brought to Cleveland for an interview. Team executives met with Scott in Michigan on Father’s Day, according to his agent, Brian McInerney, but no offer was made.

Marbury hopes Nets gets LeBron

Marc Berman of the New York Post reports:

Stephon Marbury said he is rooting for LeBron James to sign with the Nets to rescuscitate Newark and, eventually, his home borough, Brooklyn.

“LJ 23 should go to the Nets so that Newark would be able to grow and build businesses for the people there,” Marbury wrote in an e-mail to The Post. “After he builds the economy in Newark he can come to my borough and create a brand new life for people struggling to make it in this tough economy.”

Brian Shaw visits Cavaliers to discuss head coaching job

The AP reports:

Los Angeles Lakers assistant Brian Shaw is meeting with the Cleveland Cavaliers about their coaching vacancy.

Shaw arrived in Cleveland on Monday to visit with owner Dan Gilbert and front-office members, the Cavs said. It is not yet known if the club has offered him the job.

The 43-year-old Shaw has spent five seasons on Phil Jackson’s staff in Los Angeles. A 14-year NBA veteran, Shaw is also considered a candidate to replace Jackson if the 11-time champion retires. Jackson is expected to announce his plans later this week.

The Cavaliers have been looking for a coach since firing Mike Brown after their second-round playoff loss to Boston. The team was previously turned down by Tom Izzo, who rejected a reported $30 million offer to stay at Michigan State.

Knicks planning big LeBron James meeting July 1

Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports:

LeBron James has closely guarded his plans once his much-celebrated free agency starts next week. But the New York Knicks are making preparations like they are expecting to host his first stop.

According to a source, the Knicks are making plans to host an elaborate meal and meeting with James in a high-end location in Manhattan during the afternoon and evening of July 1, which is next Thursday. The tentative plan is for Knicks management and officials to host James and his various agents and friends for a large dinner party catered by a celebrity chef.

The Knicks are currently scouring the city for an available high-rise condo or apartment with a great view to rent for the event, the source said.

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Mo Williams hopes Cavs keep him

Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports:

Mo Williams says that Cleveland has become his home and he does not want to leave.

With trade rumors swirling around him over the last several weeks, the Cavaliers guard got proactive today via his Twitter feed by requesting not to be traded to his more than 54,000 followers.

“I’m not ready to go,” Williams wrote. “I’m begging. My work ain’t done yet. I’m on both knees.”

Multiple league executives have said that the Cavs have had some trade talks with Williams but they are not looking to trade him, just to get a feel for his market if they decide to make a move.

Tom Izzo was unable to get LeBron James on the phone

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports:

Now, let us get this straight: One of the best coaches in the country is offered $6 million a year to leave a great gig to come to the Cavs. The team owner obviously wants him, but he, no fool, wants to know how he stands with the best player on the team, a player barely two weeks away from free agency. But when he tries to reach out to that player, he can’t even get him on the phone?

Wow.

There’s nothing wrong with LeBron James keeping in the background during the Cavs’ search for a new coach. Even if he’s the ultimate power on the team, he’s smart not to make that too obvious. But to refuse a phone call from a guy whose name is already penciled in at the Hall of Fame?