Cleveland Cavaliers eyeing Mike Malone to replace David Blatt?

By Josh Hill | Jan 16, 2015

Nov 25, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Sacramento Kings head coach Michael Malone reacts during the first quarter of a game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

The Minnesota Timberwolves and Cleveland Cavaliers may be chasing the same head coaching candidate this year.

Mike Malone wasn’t able to cut it with the Sacramento Kings this season, but his abrupt firing was seen as a mistake by the team both at the time and now. It was a move that many believe the Kings should be applauded for, as they didn’t want Malone but fired him before he ruined himself in the eyes of other NBA executives around the league.

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That still pristine reputation is something that is already paying off in the form of interesting from teams looking for head coaches. One of those teams is the Minnesota Timberwolves, but there’s another team who could be interested in Malone that could shake things up in a serious way of they get involved.

According to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News, the Minnesota Timberwolves are interested in hiring Mike Malone, but the Cleveland Cavaliers are a dark horse to keep a very close eye on moving forward.

"Of course, there has been some buzz about Malone and one of his former employers—the Cavaliers, where Malone was an assistant and the defensive coordinator for Mike Brown during LeBron James’ first stint with the team."

If David Blatt is fired midseason — which looks very possible right now — then Malone is a natural choice. Tyronn Lue and Larry Drew are options as well but Malone is a Cavaliers coaching veteran and knows LeBron James. There’s a history there between the two and it’s not a negative one that LeBron would be opposed to rekindling.

That, of course, is assuming that David Blatt is fired which is unfortunately looking like a real outcome this season. Even if the Cavaliers win, Blatt is a marked man and it’s looking like his long-term future with the team is in doubt no matter what.

Malone is a fit for the Cavaliers, and if the Timberwolves hold out for a different candidate or continue to groom Sam Mitchell, then Cleveland is a team to watch in his future.

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