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Could Scott's hiring open door for Paul to Cleveland?

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July 1, 2010
Byron Scott, Cleveland Cavaliers

FOXSportsOhio.com takes a look at the career of new Cavs head coach Byron Scott. Take a stroll down memory lane and get to know the player and coach.

• Get to know new Cavs head coach Byron Scott  Photo Icon

• View the LeBron James photo timeline  Photo Icon

• Top 10 2010 NBA Free Agents  Photo Icon

• Top 10 reasons LeBron James will stay in Cleveland

• Top 5 reasons LeBron James will leave Cleveland

By Zac Jackson
Fox Sports Ohio
July 1, 2010

Five very quick thoughts on the hiring of Byron Scott and the early landscape of free agency. Much more to come ...

1. It's obvious the Cavaliers' decision-makers thought they needed to have at least one piece in place to coincide with the July 1 start of free agency; we'd previously heard "there is no timeline" for hiring a coach, then all of a sudden we hear that Brian Shaw wasn't comfortable giving a quick answer without knowing LeBron's status, then we hear Scott is hired. Obviously the Cavs need to show LeBron that whatever structure and plan they've previously laid out for him is at least somewhat coming together, one step at a time.

2. Much of this period is about insinuation, speculation and potential fits, so bringing in a coach that's been in two NBA Finals and has a close relationship with Chris Paul certainly can't hurt the Cavaliers during this time. Now, Paul is under contract and it would take close to a miracle for the Cavaliers to pry him away, but they have a coach in place who's been in big games and has relationships with guys who have been in big games as they go hunting/scouting/hoping in terms of exploring trade options and other, lower-tier free-agent possibilities.

3. The Cavaliers can talk with and explore other free agents, but nobody is going to sign until LeBron makes up his mind. It just wouldn't make sense. As I've said before, you have to believe the Cavaliers have presented almost every plausible scenario to LeBron so he can weigh those against who/what he sees in Chicago, Miami, New Jersey, etc. There's no official word on a Scott introductory press conference but it will be very interesting to hear what Scott, Dan Gilbert and Chris Grant say on the record about where they believe they stand with LeBron.

4. In terms of watching the other potential free-agent movement, Cavs fans are obviously rooting for Chris Bosh not to make any move anywhere in hopes that the Cavs could eventually pull off a sign-and-trade, though they're far from the only team working to do that. I'd keep my eye on Amare' Stoudemire and Carlos Boozer as both seem likely to land somewhere in the Eastern Conference, making at least two teams somewhat stronger in what's currently the inferior conference. Also, Doc Rivers  returning to the Celtics is a sign he thinks they'll keep the band togther, but Paul Pierce opted out and Ray Allen is a free agent and a guy lots of teams (including the Cavs) will be after.

5. A little more on Scott...as a coach, he's been to two NBA Finals and had one memorable postseason run in New Orleans (and another that ended in disaster with a 58-point loss to Denver). He's been fired twice in season, but the fact that he has both coaching and playing experience on the only stage that matters to the Cavaliers is a big deal. It's unknown (and not likely) that he's talked to LeBron, but he has the credentials and experience to know exactly how to handle such a meeting when it comes -- presumably this weekend, if not before.

Tags: nba, Cleveland Cavaliers, zac jackson
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