With the Cleveland Cavaliers suddenly holding an infusion of interest and excitement with the number one overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, there is no shortage of intrigue as to who their next head coach will be. In that vein, there is a report from Sam Amick of USA Today that suggests that a trio of names including Vinny Del Negro and Adrian Griffin are set to interview with the team in the near future.
Cavs scheduling coaching interviews soon. In addition to Alvin Gentry, Adrian Griffin, others, V. Del Negro also still expected to interview
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) May 24, 2014
News linking the Cavs with current Los Angeles Clippers assistant Alvin Gentry has been circling for a bit, but word that Del Negro and Griffin are in the mix is interesting. Of course, Vinny Del Negro was last seen as the head coach with the Clippers before being ousted in favor of Doc Rivers, and despite significant criticism in his direction, he did “lead” Los Angeles to an impressive record in his final season on the job.
In the case of Griffin, the long-time former player has been highly respected for some time, and he has been mentioned in various coaching searches over the past few seasons. As an assistant with the Chicago Bulls (where he also played), he has able to gain favor throughout the league, and while it would be interesting for Cleveland to settle on a first-time guy, they could certainly do much worse than Griffin.
Settling on any member of this trio wouldn’t exactly inspire a parade in Cleveland (especially in the case of Del Negro), but with a relative shortage of high-profile candidates (at least right now), the Cavs could simply be providing an elaborate smoke screen.