National Basketball Association

Cavs owner: Coach Brown not fired

Published May. 14, 2010 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

The Cleveland Cavaliers are keeping coach Mike Brown — for now.

Team owner Dan Gilbert refuted a report Friday that Brown had been fired.

"That's not true," he said during a news conference at Cleveland Clinic Courts, the team's three-year-old, $25 million training facility. "We are right now just going through the evaluation process."

He said the team expects to have answers "in the next week to 10 days," Gilbert said. "I don't think it's a secret coaching is one of the things we'll look at."

Stung by the Cavs' stunning loss to Boston in the second round of the NBA playoffs, Gilbert said an organizational review will include general manager Danny Ferry, who failed in his attempt to put a championship team around two-time MVP LeBron James.

"Everybody will be evaluated," said Gilbert, who earlier called it a "very sad day in Cleveland."

Brown was the league's coach of the year last season when the Cavs won 66 games. Cleveland lost to Orlando in the conference finals, however, and it was assumed Brown would have to get the team closer to a championship to keep his job.

Instead, the Cavs regressed in Brown's fifth season. They were badly outplayed by the Celtics, who won the last two games played in Cleveland by a combined 50 points. But Gilbert insisted the team didn't quit against Boston.

"It's one of those things that you can't believe it after it's happened," Gilbert said. "I feel bad for the fans more than anybody. It's a nightmare and we've got to get through it."

The loss opened up the possibility of a major shakeup as James prepares for free agency.

The LeBron watch began at 10:53 p.m. Thursday, when Celtics guard Rajon Rondo dribbled out the last 14 seconds and Boston, which rallied from a 2-1 deficit to win the series 4-2, began celebrating.

James can opt out of his contract by July 1, a move that would make him a free agent and set off a wild scramble for his services from New York to Miami to Los Angeles and, of course, back in Cleveland.

Gilbert believes the Cavs are still in the mix to keep James.

"Of course, we fully believe that, sweepstakes, in the running, whatever, I think this is the best franchise for him to play at," Gilbert said.

Brown and James were not available for comment and there are no plans to have them meet with the media.