The Cleveland Cavaliers have reportedly been granted permission to interview Portland Trail Blazers assistants Nate Tibbetts and David Vanterpool for the franchise’s head coaching job, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The Cavs finished with the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference this season.
The Cavs are looking to find the right man to lead the franchise in the second post-LeBron James era. The development of point guard Collin Sexton, small forward Cedi Osman and power forward Larry Nance Jr. is the most important thing for the organization right now.
Cleveland is hoping to get the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. Drafting an impact player would expedite the Cavs’ rebuild.
The Blazers are currently up 3-1 against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs. Tibbetts and Vanterpool have never been head coaches before.
Tibbetts was an assistant coach for the Cavs from 2011-13. He’s in his sixth season with the Blazers. Vanterpool, meanwhile, played 22 games with the Washington Wizards back in 2000-01. He’s in his seventh season with Portland.
The Cavs only have one All-Star on the roster right now in Kevin Love. They won’t be players in free agency either. Drafting well and developing the players on the current roster is the only way Cleveland is going to get better.