The Cavaliers and John Calipari came close to a deal that would have made Calipari the next coach of the team, according to a report from Yahoo Sports.
Calipari, the coach at the University of Kentucky, was offered a deal for seven years and in excess of $60 million, FOX Sports 1 NBA insider Adrian Wojarnowski reported for Yahoo.
Calipari led the Wildcats to the NCAA title game this past season. He signed a seven-year deal believed to be worth $52 million with Kentucky last week.
FOX Sports Ohio reported in a story posted May 14, the Cavs had a strong interest in Calipari.
According to the Yahoo story: "If Calipari had gone to Cleveland, the plan would've been for new general manager David Griffin to work with Calipari in the front office, but he would've ceded final decisions on personnel matters to Calipari, sources said."
Among others believed to have interviewed for the Cavs' coaching vacancy: Clippers assistants Tyronn Lue and Alvin Gentry, Bulls assistant Adrian Griffin, former head coaches Lionel Hollins and Vinny Del Negro, and Maccabi Tel Aviv coach David Blatt.
Sources close to the search indicated the Cavs were highly impressed with Adrian Griffin and Lue. Yahoo reported Lue and Gentry will be brought back for second interviews, although FOX Sports Ohio sources have indicated Gentry will have to wow Cavs owner Dan Gilbert to land the job.
As for Blatt, the Cavs have spoken to him a couple times and their interest is said to be genuine.
The Cavs have also spoken with University of Florida coach Billy Donovan. A source with knowledge of those talks described them to FOX Sports Ohio as "backchannel discussions," and said the possibility of Donovan coming to Cleveland is "unlikely, but not 100-percent dead."
The Cavs own the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. They are hopeful of hiring a coach before then.
