 |
| |
|
 |
 |
 |
|||||||||||
|
Silas selected Cavs choose ex-Hornets coach over Van GundyPosted: Sunday June 01, 2003 8:02 PMUpdated: Monday June 02, 2003 11:14 AM
CLEVELAND (AP) -- The Cleveland Cavaliers have decided to put LeBron James' future in the hands of Paul Silas. Silas, fired by New Orleans after the season, will be hired as the Cavaliers' new coach after agreeing on a long-term contract, The Associated Press has learned. The deal was being completed Sunday night, according to two sources with knowledge of the talks who spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity. The Cavaliers have scheduled an afternoon news conference Monday at Gund Arena, where they are expected to introduce Silas. He was selected by owner Gordon Gund over former New York Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy. Silas was thought to be the Cavaliers' No. 2 choice behind Van Gundy, who had numerous discussions with Cleveland's front office about James, the Akron high school star. The Cavaliers, who went 17-65 last season, have the No. 1 pick in the June 26 NBA Draft and have said they will use it to pick the 18-year-old James. "They decided, and they got a great guy. I'm fine with it," Van Gundy said. Silas was dismissed by the Hornets days after they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Philadelphia. Silas took his teams to the postseason four years in a row, and twice got the Hornets to the second round. A former star for the Boston Celtics, Silas has earned a reputation for being a coach who can get the most from his players. He won praise for keeping the Hornets together following the tragic death of player Bobby Phills in 2000, and focusing his players when the franchise moved to New Orleans from Charlotte this year. Silas fits the profile of a veteran NBA coach that Gund and GM Jim Paxson have sought to groom the 6-foot-8 James, who likely will play guard in the pros. After four straight 50-loss seasons, James has Clevelanders talking about basketball again, and his impending selection in the draft has set off a flurry of season-ticket sales at Gund Arena. The Cavaliers were looking for a teacher for James and the team's other young players, including Dajuan Wagner, Ricky Davis and Darius Miles. Silas, 59, was one of the league's lowest-paid coaches last year, making $1.5 million. Most likely he'll make twice that much with the Cavaliers, who have had four coaches since 1999 and still owe John Lucas $3 million for the final year of his contract. Lucas was fired in January after the Cavaliers started 8-34. He was replaced on an interim basis by Keith Smart, who interviewed with Paxson and Gund for the opening two weeks ago. If Silas doesn't keep Smart on his staff, the Cavaliers are expected to give him a job in the organization. Before joining the Hornets, Silas was the top assistant with the Phoenix Suns from 1995-97. Silas also worked for the New Jersey Nets for four seasons and was the head coach of the San Diego Clippers for three seasons from 1980-83.
During his 16-year NBA playing career, the 6-foot-7 forward won
three NBA titles -- two with Boston and one with Seattle -- and was a
two-time All-Star.
|
|
|||||||||
|
|||||||||||
