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Cleveland Cavaliers Wiretap

Phil And LeBron?

Phil Jackson spoke with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday in his virtual tour of cities and teams that want him to be their coach for the 2005-06 season and beyond.

"We had contact with Phil Jackson and are exploring all highly successful head coaches who are in a position to speak with us," Cavaliers vice president of communications Tad Carper said.

Jackson's agent, Chicago-based Todd Musburger, also confirmed the call.

"It was a lengthy and thorough conversation," he said. "It was very detailed.

"Phil will be taking the time he needs to make a decision. He will go through this entire process. It is a very important decision. He'll take the time he needs."

Musburger said Jackson isn't necessarily leaning toward returning to the Los Angeles Lakers. Jackson led the Lakers to three NBA championships in his five seasons in Los Angeles. He left after the 2003-04 season and took a year off from coaching.

Cleveland may be a good fit for Jackson. The team holds one of the best young talents the league has seen in a long time in LeBron James and perhaps Mr. James could be Jackson’s next Jordon.

Via The News Herald


LeBron Wants McMillan

A source very close to LeBron James has told the Beacon Journal that the young superstar would prefer Nate McMillan to become the next head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

McMillan is coaching without a contract for next season in Seattle and so Dan Gilbert will be able to court the coach this summer.

McMillan's agent has been working for an extension and with this report, his client's negotiating power will surely rise.

Via Beacon-Journal


Snow Wins Citizenship Award

Eric Snow of the Cleveland Cavaliers is the 2005 recipient of the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award presented annually by the Professional Basketball Writers Association. The Kennedy Citizenship award is the oldest citizenship and community service award in the NBA and is named for the second commissioner of the league. The award honors an NBA player or coach for outstanding service and dedication to the community.

"I am honored to have been selected for such a prestigious award,” said Snow. “To now be mentioned in the company of those past and even future recipients who spend so much of their time, energy and resources in service to others is truly a blessing. I hope that my being recognized will be an inspiration to others in the same way that others have inspired me."

Snow established the Full Court Fathers Program this season, which promotes, encourages and rewards positive father-child relationships. During the 2004-05 season, 40 father-son and 40 father-daughter pairs were honored at Cavaliers home games and had a once-in-a-lifetime chance to meet Snow.

Snow’s Shoot 4 The Moon Foundation, initially established in the Philadelphia-area in 1997, was introduced to the Canton, Cleveland and surrounding areas of Northeast Ohio when Snow became a Cavalier last summer. The foundation is dedicated to supporting and strengthening communities and families by placing an emphasis on community activities aimed at empowering and encouraging fathers. Snow also hosted the inaugural Shoot 4 The Moon Basketball Camp in November 2004.

Through the Steals and Assists Program, Snow donated twenty dollars for every steal and twenty dollars for every assist he made during the 2004-05 regular season to local non-profit agencies. With 67 steals and 317 assists this season, Snow donated a total of $7,680. Over two seasons as a Philadelphia 76er, Snow donated close to $20,000 to four Philadelphia-area fatherhood programs. "The PBWA is proud to present Eric Snow with the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship award for 2005," said Steve Aschburner, president of the PBWA. "Eric's commitment to strong family values through his Full Court Fathers program reminds people that the No. 1 role model for most kids should be the man involved in their daily lives, not an athlete in a colorful uniform whom they mostly see on TV. His work at father-son and father-daughter relationships is genuine, too, based on the richness of time he has spent with his dad, Hubert, and on the leadership Eric tries to provide for his own children."

The five finalists this season were Snow, Adonal Foyle of the Golden State Warriors, Richard Hamilton of the Detroit Pistons and Shaquille O’Neal of the Miami Heat.

Via Press Release


Cavaliers Apr 2005 Archive

  • Flip Waiting For Call From New York

    Former Timberwolves head coach Flip Saunders is still waiting for a call from Isiah Thomas and the Knicks regarding their head coaching vacancy.

  • Dumars Denies Brown Rumors

    Pistons GM Joe Dumars adamantly denied published rumors from Cleveland that Cavaliers' owner Dan Gilber had discussed his own GM vacancy with Detroit head coach Larry Brown.

  • List Grows For Cleveland GM Job

    The list of candidates to replace Jim Paxson in Cleveland is literally growing by the minute.

  • Ilgauskas Moving To New York, Will He Sign There?

    Zydrunas Ilgauskas believes the odds of him returning to Cleveland are 50/50. New York is one place where he might go, as he is in the process of buying a home there.

  • The Names Begin To Surface For The Cleveland GM Post

    Dan Gilbert fired Jim Paxson on Thursday and has begun his search for the Cavaliers' next General Manager. Some of the rumored names include Larry Brown, B.J. Armstrong and Danny Ferry.

  • Cleveland Fires Jim Paxson

    LeBron James will be playing under a new Coach and General Manager next season. Paxson was Cleveland's GM for six years.

  • LeBron's Triple-Double For Naught

    LeBron James had 27 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists in a 104-95 win over the Raptors, but Cleveland will not be in the playoffs.

  • Pistons Place Hamilton On The IL; Activate Horace Jenkins

    The Detroit Pistons placed Richard Hamilton on the injured list Wednesday for the last game of the season.

  • McInnis Out For Cleveland's Season Finale

    Jeff McInnis (viral syndrome) did not travel with the team to Toronto last night.

  • No Contract Appears Imminent For Ilgauskas

    Zydrunas Ilgauskas will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and no contract extension is near.

  • Who Will Go To Miami?

    LeBron James and the Cavaliers head to Toronto while Jason Kidd and the Nets will travel to Boston to see who will advance to the playoffs and face the Miami Heat.

  • LeBron's 37 Not Enough In Detroit

    LeBron James scored 37 points, but the Cavaliers still lost to the Detroit Pistons by the score of 90-87, seriously damaging their chances of qualifying for the playoffs.

  • Gooden Suffers Hip Contusion

    Drew Gooden sustained a left hip contusion during the second quarter of last night's game at Washington.

  • Crawford Scores 25 Points To Beat Cleveland

    Jamal Crawford scored 25 points and Maurice Taylor had 16, including 11 in the fourth quarter, as the New York Knicks damaged Cleveland's playoff chances with a 95-89 win over the Cavaliers on Thursday night.

  • Ilgauskas Hopes To Return Next Wednesday

    Zydrunas Ilgauskas is keeping his hopes up for a return to action in the Cavaliers’ season finale versus Toronto next Wednesday.

  • James Plays 48 Minutes, Leads Cleveland To Win Over Orlando

    LeBron James had 33 points, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals, leading the Cavaliers to a 114-106 win over the Orlando Magic on Monday night.

  • Ilgauskas Still Doubtful; Diop And Pavlovic Probable

    Sasha Pavlovic (right ankle sprain) left the game with 8:14 left in the fourth quarter of tonight's game versus the Milwaukee Bucks.

  • Pavlovic Goes Down With Sprained Ankle; Ilgauskas Still Injured

    Sasha Pavlovic left Friday's game versus the Sixers in the second quarter with a sprained right ankle.

  • Iverson's Career-High 16 Assists Spark Philly

    Allen Iverson scored 23 points and had a career-high 16 assists to lead the Sixers to a crucial 103-98 win over the Cavaliers on Friday night.

  • James' Commitment To Cleveland Waning By The Minute

    Source: LeBron James may ask the Cavaliers to trade him this summer if they don't make the playoffs.

  • Lebron Makes An Offer To Settle Lawsuit

    Apparently wanting to keep his focus onto the playoff race ahead of him, Cleveland Cavaliers' star Lebron James made yet another offer to settle a lawsuit with the trial looming later this month.

  • Ilgauskas Doubtful For Wednesday Following Loss To Nets

    The Cleveland Cavalies, in the midst of all the Paxson drama, might also be shorthanded on Wednesday versus Indiana.

  • Cavaliers Close To Firing Paxson

    The Jim Paxson era in Cleveland appears to be in it's final hours.

  • Anthony And Izzo To Run The Cavaliers?

    The Arizona Republic is reporting that Greg Anthony has revealed that he will be the Cavaliers next general manager and that Tom Izzo will be hired as head coach.

  • Bulls Outscore Cleveland 14-2 In Overtime

    LeBron James followed the lead of Stephen Jackson on Thursday, hitting a game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer to force an overtime period at the United Center.