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 Cavs still coachless
Posted: Monday June 14, 1999 08:38 PM
CLEVELAND (AP) -- General manager Jim Paxson narrowed his search Monday for the Cleveland Cavaliers' coaching job by at least one -- it won't be his brother. With just over two weeks remaining until the NBA college draft, the Cavs still haven't picked a successor for Mike Fratello, whom they fired June 1. And as the rumor mill continues churning out possible candidates -- Rick Carlisle, Randy Wittman, Dave Cowens, Scott Skiles, Bob Hill and Del Harris are among the most frequently mentioned -- Paxson didn't say much to narrow the field. But one name everyone can forget is John Paxson, the GM's brother and a former guard for the Bulls. Even if his big brother asked him, which wasn't likely anyway, John Paxson isn't interested. "I talked to him in Chicago and someone else seriously talked to me for 45 minutes about how he would be perfect," he said. "Well, John doesn't even want to coach." Paxson was in Chicago last week to attend the NBA's pre-draft workouts where potential draft picks showcased their skills to scouts, coaches, assistant coaches and general managers from around the league. Paxson used the time to evaluate both players he might draft and coaches he might hire. He sought out other GMs, coaches and players to see whom they thought might be a good fit for his young Cavs. Paxson, who took over the Cavs' GM duties when Fratello was fired and former GM Wayne Embry stepped aside, said he has some coaching candidates in mind. He's just not ready to reveal his list. "Whether it's on paper or in my head, there are people that I feel like I want to talk to, and I want to start doing that," he said. Asked when he planned on bringing coaches in for formal interviews, all Paxson would offer was "soon." The Cavaliers have two first-round picks -- Nos. 8 and 11 overall -- in the June 30 draft, but Paxson insisted he wasn't under any added pressure to have a coach in place by then. He wants to make the right decision, not a rash one. "I'm not going to talk to 100 people and interview them," he said, "and I don't think it's a good idea to make it a media focus. The focus is to come out of this with the best coach for this team going forward. We hope to get it done sooner than later. It's more important to pick the right guy, so if it doesn't happen before the draft, so be it."
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