The Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly narrowed down their list of potential coaching candidates to three. Contrary to reports, former Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson is not on the list reported by Steve Kyler of BasketballInsiders.
Cleveland has taken their time to find a replacement for ex-coach Mike Brown. But, with the 2014 NBA draft less than two weeks away, Cleveland reportedly has it down to three candidates.
"Hearing Cavs coaching process down to three guys -- Ty Lue, Alvin Gentry and David Blatt -- ownership will chime in on final hire," Kyler tweeted on Thursday.
The three candidates have diverse backgrounds. Lue played in the NBA from 1998 to 2009 for seven different teams before becoming an assistant coach to then-Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers in 2009; Lue followed Rivers to the Los Angeles Clippers last season and currently remains one of Rivers's assistants.
Gentry, who's coached four NBA teams, was fired by the Phoenix Suns in January 2013. He's currently Rivers's top assistant coach in Los Angeles, where he works with Lue.
Blatt, a Boston Native, is a renowned European basketball coach in Israel. ESPN reported Friday Blatt was considering finally leaping to the NBA: either as an assistant in Golden State under coach Steve Kerr or, if offered, as Cleveland's head coach.
The Associated Press also reported Cleveland's interest in Blatt.
According to Kyler's coaching list, Jackson didn't make the Cavaliers' final cut. ESPN's Chris Broussard reported on Thursday that earlier in the week Cleveland had reached out to Jackson, who's currently an NBA broadcaster for ESPN, about their head coaching vacancy.
