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 Cavs fire Mike Fratello Jim Paxson takes over as GM, Wayne Embry steps aside
Posted: Wednesday June 02, 1999 12:29 AM
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Mike Fratello has been the master of slow-paced, half-court basketball and the "Czar of the Telestrator." He was never the coach of a playoff winner in Cleveland. Now he's out of a job. Cavaliers owner Gordon Gund, looking for new blood, more wins and more fans in the arena that bears his name, dumped Fratello a month after the team ended an injury-plagued 22-28 season. Fratello was fired Tuesday as part of a shakeup in which general manager Wayne Embry stepped aside to be replaced by Jim Paxson, the team's vice president of basketball operations. Fratello still has a year left on his contract, which the Cavs will buy out. His reaction to the news: "I think shocked," Gund said. "Sometimes from a coaching standpoint, teams need to go in a new direction, to be re-energized by new leadership on the floor," Gund said. "We believe that is true with respect to the Cavs." During Fratello's six-year tenure, the Cavs compiled a 248-212 record and made the playoffs four times. But Cleveland's playoff record was just 2-12 during that time and the Cavs never made it out of the first round. Fratello's teams always seemed to be playing hurt, playing slow or both. When injuries took out stars like Brad Daugherty in his early years, Fratello employed a defensive, use-the-shot-clock style that set records for points allowed and made the most of thin rosters. But some fans got bored in the process. Things looked better going into last season, as Cleveland featured a young team that had surpassed expectations by reaching the playoffs in 1998. Then the injury bug hit again. Starters Zydrunas Ilgauskas (broken left foot), forward Shawn Kemp (sprained left foot), and Brevin Knight (broken left hand) were out by the end of the strike-shortened year. Attendance at Gund Arena dropped from an average of 16,942 in 1997-98 to 14,120 this year. "With injuries," Fratello said in a statement released by the team, "we were in a constant state of change." Fratello, 52, did not attend a news conference where Gund announced the front office changes. But in his statement he thanked the Cavs and said he regretted not being able to reach the goals he had set for the team. Gund said repeatedly he didn't blame Fratello for the Cavs' performance this year and the team's style of play was not the reason he fired him. But when asked what will bring fans back, Gund said "I think winning has a lot to do with it. And I hope if they see an exciting, fast-paced game that will help." Paxson said the Cavs would try to replace Fratello before the NBA draft on June 30. Gund, Embry and Paxson would not speculate on who the candidates will be to replace Fratello. The criteria for the new coach were still being drawn up, they said. Fratello coached for seven years in Atlanta then worked as a commentator for NBC for three seasons, earning the nickname "Czar of the Telestrator" from partner Marv Albert. In the other move, Embry will continue as president and chief operating officer for the next year, but will leave the general manager's post, handling day-to-day basketball operations, effective July 1. Embry, 62, has been grooming the 41-year-old Paxson for the past year to take his place. "He's ready," Embry said. Embry played in the NBA for 11 years and was the first black general manager in the league's history when he was named to the post in 1972 by the Milwaukee Bucks. He held the position for six years. Prior to joining the Cavs as general manager in 1986, Embry also served in the front office of the Indiana Pacers for one year. Paxson, who joined the Portland front office after playing with the Trail Blazers for nine seasons, had joined the Cavs to coordinate scouting and player acquisition and development. Paxson played at the University of Dayton and was a first-round selection by Portland in the 1979 draft. He was a two-time NBA All-Star with Portland and played his final NBA season in 1989-90 with Boston. He served as Portland's offensive skills coach in 1993-94 and later became assistant to the president and most recently served as assistant general manager. His father, Jim, was an NBA player from 1956-58 with Minneapolis and Cincinnati and his brother, John, played for San Antonio from 1983-85 and for Chicago from 1985-94.
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