National Basketball Association

Cavs coach Scott not ready to give up on season

Published Dec. 9, 2010 1:55 a.m. ET

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Although clearly frustrated by his team's play, Cleveland Cavaliers coach Byron Scott isn't giving up on the season.

''I'm not ready to do that,'' Scott said before Wednesday night's game against Chicago. ''(General manager) Chris Grant and (owner) Dan Gilbert aren't, either. I'm not anywhere near there right now. As I've told the players, I still have a lot of faith and a lot of trust in them.''

After star forward LeBron James left for Miami as a free agent last offseason, the Cavaliers entered Wednesday night with five consecutive losses, dropping their record to 7-14. Cleveland went 0-3 on a road trip to Minnesota, Detroit and Philadelphia, which are among the worst teams in the NBA. The Cavaliers lost those games by an average of 21.3 points.

Scott, hired in July to replace the fired Mike Brown, changed the starting lineup for Wednesday's game. Forwards J.J. Hickson and Joey Graham were benched. Anthony Parker was moved from shooting guard to small forward. Antawn Jamison started at the other forward spot, while Daniel Gibson started at shooting guard.

Center Anderson Varejao and point guard Mo Williams remained in the starting lineup. Forward Jamario Moon, who has been starting most of the season, was inactive.

''Obviously, I'm searching,'' Scott said. ''I think it's a move that's warranted right now. The things we're doing aren't working. I don't see what we can lose to make some changes.''

Scott would like to see more emotion from his players.

''I want more than what they've shown so far,'' he said. ''Maybe this is the way to get some guys' attention. From a coaching standpoint, you can't stand pat when things keep going this way. We'll go with this. If that's not working, we'll change it again.''

Scott has a simple message for his players and it has nothing to do with strategy.

''The biggest thing is they've got to stop feeling sorry for themselves,'' he said. ''They've got to go out and play basketball.''

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