CLEVELAND -- On Saturday night, Hall of Fame NBA reporter Peter Vecsey created a stir when he reported that Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert has spoken to Rick Pitino about the team's head coaching vacancy.
It appears, however, that buzz may have been much ado about nothing.
According to a team source, Vecsey's report is 100 percent false and the Cavs are, respectfully, not interested in hiring the former Louisville head coach. Cleveland's head coaching job became open earlier this month when Larry Drew and the Cavs mutually parted ways.
With Cleveland's head coaching vacancy having largely been linked to NBA assistant coaches, Pitino certainly stood out in what's been an otherwise quiet coaching search. A 2-time national champion with five Final Fours on his resume, Pitino saw his storied college coaching career seemingly come to an end in 2017 following a slew of NCAA violations that ultimately led to his firing at Louisville and the program's 2013 national title being vacated.
In the time since, he has taken over Panathinaikos B.C. in Greece, leading the club to the Greek Cup Championship earlier this year. Speaking to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski last year, the 66-year-old Pitino discussed his interest in an NBA return, having spent two seasons with the New York Knicks (1987-89) and four with the Boston Celtics (1997-2001).
“I just want to be a part of an organization, he said. "I want to develop young players. I want to be part of a team. I miss it terribly. I’m using this time to really study the NBA. If something opens up with a young basketball team, I’d have deep interest in it.
“I think the league is going to get younger and player development will become even more important to every organization. That’s my forte. I believe I can help an organization find a pathway to success.”
With Pitino out of the mix, Miami Heat assistant Juwan Howard and Dallas Mavericks assistant Jamahl Mosley are the only two candidates currently set to reportedly receive interviews. A day after parting ways with Drew, Cavs general manager Koby Altman discussed what his team is looking for in its future head coach.
"We want to make sure we get this right," Altman said. "We also want to make sure we get to know these candidates really really well, flush this thing out and I hate to keep using this word, but make sure it's the right fit.
"Make sure it's the right fit for our front office, for our players, for our fanbase. We want availability, grinding -- all that kind of stuff. We want to make sure that's the right fit and for that person, that we're the right fit for them too."
