The rumors about Michigan State's Tom Izzo accepting the Cleveland Cavaliers head coaching job have been swirling, but the Cavs seem ready to make another hire if need be. According to ESPN, Byron Scott is an equal candidate:
Byron Scott has emerged as a strong candidate to become the Cleveland Cavaliers coach, according to an Eastern Conference executive with knowledge of the club's thinking.
Scott is on equal footing with Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, according to the source.
Scott does have an attractive NBA resumé. He led the New Jersey Nets to two NBA Finals in four seasons and coached a young Hornets team to the Western Conference semifinals in 2008. His one major blemish is that he was inexplicably fired just nine games into the 2009 season when the Hornets started 3-6.
The Cavs still seem to be impressed with the fact that Scott was coach of the year in 2008 and has a track record of coaching stars such as Jason Kidd and Chris Paul, which may help convince LeBron to re-sign with Cleveland. As is most likely the case with Izzo, Scott would probably like to have a good idea about LeBron's intentions before accepting any coaching gig with the Cavs, but it is not expected to be a deal breaker.