Tyronn Lue, David Blatt Cavs finalists

ByBrian Windhorst ESPN logo
Thursday, June 19, 2014

The Cleveland Cavaliers have narrowed their search for head coach to Tyronn Lue and David Blatt with a decision expected soon, sources told ESPN.com.

The team was in the final stages of researching both candidates on Thursday, as they were believed to be in final preparations before making an offer.

Lue, 37, has interviewed several times with the Cavs over the past month and recently met with team owner Dan Gilbert for an extended session, sources said. Lue played point guard for seven teams in 11 years in the NBA before working on Doc Rivers' staff in Boston and with the Los Angeles Clippers over the past four seasons.

The Cavs are believed to be drawn to Lue because of the way he's been able to connect and develop young players. The Cavs were the youngest team in the NBA last season and will be adding another key young player with the No. 1 overall pick in next week's draft.

Getting their young guards, Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters, to effectively play together will be one of the biggest challenges for the new coach, and Lue impressed the Cavs front office with his plan to make the pair work together.

Blatt, 55, had a second interview with the Cavs this week after he announced he was leaving Maccabi Tel Aviv last week. Blatt, who played collegiately at Princeton, has been one of the most successful coaches in Europe. He led Maccabi to the Euroleague title this season and coached the Russian national team to the bronze medal in the 2012 Olympics.

The Golden State Warriors have wanted Blatt for Steve Kerr's lead assistant and are poised to make him one of the highest-paid assistant coaches in the league if he doesn't land the Cavs job, sources said.