Cavaliers Officially Take Next Step Toward Hiring New Head Coach

The Cleveland Cavaliers moved on from J.B. Bickerstaff following the conclusion of their second-round loss against the Boston Celtics. Now, they are looking for their next head coach who can help them take the next step into serious title contention.

With that goal in mind, the Cavs are casting a wide net in their search. Scouring the assistant coach landscape around the NBA, Cleveland already has four candidates lined up for interviews.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN had previously reported that the Cavs were interviewing Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson and Pelicans assistant James Borrego. The recent reporting suggest that the shortlist of candidates expanded to four.

Cavs News: Cleveland Interviewing Two Top Assistants

Wojnarowski reported that the Cavs now have permission to interview top Knicks assistant Johnnie Bryant and Heat assistant Chris Quinn.

Both of these names make a ton of sense for the Cavs. Bryant has been an associate head coach in New York since 2020. Before then, he worked with Donovan Mitchell in Utah Jazz for a few seasons. He is only 38 years old and has a ton of upside as a first-time head coach.

Quinn is a similarly respected assistant coach in the NBA. Working under the best coach in the league Erik Spoelstra for the past ten years, Quinn is widely considered to be a lock to be a head coach in the NBA one day. The Cavs giving him a chance to interview makes plenty of sense as the franchise looks for their long-term coach who can lead them to sustained glory.

The fact that all four candidates being interviewed by the Cavs is a current assistant coach, two of them never having been a head coach before, shows that the front office and ownership are going for a high-upside play. Instead of going for more proven, established veteran coaches, the Cavs are seemingly opting for the unknown potential. Whether that proves to be the correct decision remains to be seen.

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