November 7, 2012; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike Brown reacts to a play during the first half against the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

A surprising development turned into a surprising reality, as it seems that the Cleveland Cavaliers’ head coaching search has come to an end on Tuesday. According to sources close to the situation, former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown will be shedding the anaphoric title, and the two sides are currently working on a five-year deal as reported first by Jason Lloyd of the Akron-Beacon Journal. Five years is just the length of the contract that has been floating around, as Lloyd has only confirmed that a handshake agreement has been made. Lloyd believes that the deal will come on Wednesday. Adrian Wojnarowski also reported that the deal would be worth $20 million-plus.

If you came to this post hoping to discuss the likelihood of LeBron James returning to Cleveland with the announcement of this principle deal, you came to the wrong place. The Cavs have made it clear that they are focused on the now instead of the future and won’t let a player who isn’t even on the roster control the decisions they make in the present. We’ve heard all season long that LeBron has flirted with the idea of opting out of his contract with the Miami Heat in the summer of 2014 and testing the free agency market. Because of the “fallout” that James had with Brown, many have discussed that it would hurt Cleveland’s chances of corralling the Miami superstar and reigning MVP next summer if they decided on Brown as their head coach. Again, this is the now and it would be ridiculous if the front office had this kind of thought process.

After firing Byron Scott after three seasons with the squad – he had one extension year left on his contract – due to a compiled record of 64-166, a sluggish finish to this past season and the need for a defensive-minded leader, Cleveland began their search for a head coach right away, and Brown’s name was the first to surface. Scott believed that he didn’t receive a fair shake, and I agree, but unfortunately that is the nature of the head coaching position in the NBA. Just check out RDE writer Trevor Magnotti’s coach-firing manifesto. With the team’s best defensive asset by far in Anderson Varejao missing close to 150 games in Scott’s tenure with the team, it was no wonder that his squads ranked 29^th, t-26^th and t-26^th respectively in defensive efficiency. In Brown’s final four seasons coaching the Cavaliers before being fired, his team’s ranked fifth, t-second and seventh in that same category in three of those four seasons.

Even back-to-back 60-win seasons couldn’t keep Brown safe in his first go-around with the Cavaliers, as playoff and offensive struggles and the urge to lure LeBron back to Cleveland kept the Wine and Gold from retaining him. Overall, he holds the highest winning percentage in the regular season (66.3 percent) and playoffs (59.2 percent) in franchise history. Unlike his start with the team in 2005, Brown will be inheriting a team that is nowhere close to being playoff-ready, but he once again has inherited a franchise superstar in Kyrie Irving. Brown led the Wine and Gold to the playoffs for the first time since the 1997-98 season in his first season coaching the team.

Upon being fired by the Cavs, Brown found work with ESPN and then became a head coach once again for the 2010-11 NBA season with the Los Angeles Lakers. After falling in the NBA Western Conference Finals to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2011-12 season and a sluggish start this year, Brown was fired after just five games with the squad this season after his failings with implementing the Princeton offense with Dwight Howard, Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant.

Cleveland’s choice to make a move this early in their offseason is definitely justified, as there weren’t many candidates out there that matched up with his resume and his style of coaching, which Cleveland holds in high regards. Also, with the firing of Charlotte Bobcats head coach Mike Dunlap after just one season with the team, Cleveland wanted to act fast before they let the opportunity pass them by.

Nothing is finalized yet, but check back on Right Down Euclid for any breaking news regarding bringing back Coach Brown. Right now, it’s reported that an official announcement will come on Tuesday and a press conference will come on Wednesday.

October 25, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike Brown during the first quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Valley View Casino Center. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

When big news breaks in the NBA, Right Down Euclid’s Chris Manning and RDE editor Zak Kolesar have you covered. In this edition of “Countertop Conversation” Chris and Zak discuss the ongoing Cleveland Cavaliers head-coaching search.

After letting Coach Byron Scott go last week, the search is already on for a new head coach. Former Cavaliers coach Mike Brown appears to be the front-runner after meeting with Dan Gilbert last night, but other candidates are available. Namely, Brian Shaw and Phil Jackson have been brought up as possible candidates.

Chris Manning: For the record, I am totally against letting Byron Scott go after three seasons as coach. Did he have a losing record? Yes. Did he have flaws? Yes – as does every coach. But considering all of the injuries and overall lack of talent on his Cleveland Cavaliers roster, he did a pretty good job. And not to repeat the “catering the superstar” issues of the LeBron James era, but Kyrie Irving supports him. In my mind, he at least deserved another season.

Zak Kolesar: I know that many have compared the model that Cleveland is currently going through by assembling their team with high picks in the draft to what Oklahoma City did with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, but I’m also going to compare another scenario regarding Coach Scott. When he was coach of the Hornets, it took him until his fourth season in New Orleans (his third coaching star point guard Chris Paul) to lead his team to the playoffs. After three seasons of playing under-.500 basketball, the Hornets finally clicked upon their roster being mended in the offseason before the 2007-08 season. We should’ve gave him his one final season under contract, because how can a team achieve on the defensive side of the ball when their main threat misses close to 150 games over a coaches’ tenure? Now it’s almost certain that a defensive-minded leader will be brought in.

CM: I agree, and that’s why I’m not surprised that Mike Brown appears to be the Cavaliers’ top choice. He comes from a defensive background and recently moved back to the area. I always got the sense that owner Dan Gilbert was a fan of Brown as well, and probably only fired him to try and keep James in Cleveland. He’s not my top choice, but he is a coach who could come in and do work for the defensive unit. He also fits the city well in a way a big name coach would not. In my mind, Brown is the odds on favorite to be head coach next season.

ZK: I would have to also agree that right now Brown is at the forefront of this early race for the head coaching position in Cleveland. Although I said the race is early, I expect it to be wrapped up in the immediate future. The Cavs want to have a definite direction for their team early on in the offseason so they can draw out a game plan for the draft and to get ahead of the free agency game. Cleveland is a pretty unattractive destination to begin with, but the amount of money and (four) draft picks they have at their disposal this summer may change some opinions. Brown turned LeBron into the defensive prowess that he is today, but his offensive strategy is what concerned people during his previous tenure in Cleveland. The Princeton failed in Los Angeles, and with the Cavaliers recently reaching out to Phil Jackson (extremely doubtful), the Triangle Offense would not be a good fit for this team as well anyways.

CM: And that leads into my concern about Brown. Cleveland’s premier talent –Irving – is a player built on his offense, and we already know that Brown is much better at coaching the defensive end of the floor rather than the offensive. That makes me hope that, if he gets hired, he brings along an offensive coordinator to help him maximize this team’s offensive potential. But in the sense of improving the defense, he is the perfect hire. If he can get the guys to buy into his system, then it should be a smooth transition. We’ve heard that Brown’s meeting with Gilbert and general manager Chris Grant went well last night and, if hired, I’m sure his first call is going to be to Anderson Varejao – a player he previously coached and knows very well.

ZK: Varejao was a major staple of Cleveland’s efficient rebounding squad when Brown was coach. In his five seasons with the Cavaliers, Brown’s teams finished second (three times), fourth and eighth in the defensive rebound rate category. Without a (healthy) player like Varejao on the roster, Cleveland needs to start looking toward the future in finding their big who can lead the brigade in shutting down opponent’s second-chance opportunities. The front office needs to look ahead, and I think thinking past the Wild Thing years should start now. He’s great when he plays, but Brown is going to need a plethora of athletic board hoarders to get this team to the defensive level it needs to. Granted that Varejao missed a lot of time over Brown’s five years as well, but just take a look at the 2009-10 season compared to this past season: 1,655 total defensive rebounds between LeBron, Andy, J.J. Hickson, Shaquille O’Neal and Z compared to 1,396 defensive boards between Tristan Thompson, Tyler Zeller, Alonzo Gee, Andy and Kyrie. With Andy’s contract up next season, they really need to consider bringing in a cohort of physical bigs (Thompson and Zeller are fine for now).

CM: And I mentioned this on the podcast we recorded yesterday, but Hickson would be a good fit for this team if Marreese Speights does leave in free agency. However, my biggest concern about hiring Brown would be how the city itself would react. Would a city whose current longest tenured coach is first-year Indians skipper Terry Francona accept Brown? Would they, a fan base that has suffered more heartbreak because of their sports teams than most other cities, be willing to let Brown come back? That question alone makes it harder to nail this whole coaching situation down. It would not shock me one bit if Brown is hired (and I am warming up to the idea, albeit slowly) but it is at least worth looking into other new names, like Brian Shaw or other top assistants. This is ultimately a coaching choice that could affect the franchise for years, whether said affect is positive or negative.

ZK: Shaw, who was the runner-up to Scott in snagging the Cleveland job three years ago, is an associate head coach with the Indiana Pacers right now – a team that ranks among the highest in most defensive categories this season. Shaw turned down the opportunity to coach the Charlotte Bobcats last season because he wants to be in a situation where he has a chance. Although Cleveland is still very far away from playoff contention, they have a lot of leverage with draft picks and money like I mentioned earlier. Shaw, who played in the Triangle Offense, has stated that he isn’t that huge a fan of the Jackson-inspired offensive, so that bodes well for Cleveland, as they are far away from having the pieces to run an efficient Triangle scheme.

CM: I could not agree more with that statement. The Triangle relies on skilled passing big men to make the offense work, and the Cavaliers really don’t have that on their roster. That, along with the need for drastic improvement, makes Brown the clear favorite. Let’s just hope he decides to spend time teaching defense rather than hitting up Chick-Fil-A.

Dec 19, 2012; Boston, MA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Tristan Thompson (13) and head coach Byron Scott react during the second half of a game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to a special edition of “Tuesdays with Right Down Euclid.” This week, for a rare Monday show, the RDE crew of Zachary Kolesar and Chris Manning will talk the latest Wine and Gold news to keep you informed on headlining topics in the form of back-and-forth discussion. We will cover the most important topics in a four-quarter (and double overtime) breakdown spanning from the shores of Lake Erie to all around the NBA (if it is relevant breaking news).

In the twenty-fifth episode website editor Zachary Kolesar and contributing blogger Chris Manning talk about the firing of Coach Byron Scott, the biggest disappointment and brightest moment for the Cavaliers during the 2012-13 campaign, offseason plans, which parting players the Wine and Gold have to reconnect with in free agency and playoff predictions.

Below is the link where you can listen to this week’s episode as a whole:

You can also fast forward to the section of your choice by looking at the start time of each quarter:

First Quarter – Did Coach Scott get a fair shake with the Cavaliers?

Starts at the beginning of podcast

Second Quarter – Which Clevelander were you most impressed with this season?

Starts at 6:46

Third Quarter – Who was the biggest disappointment for the Cavs this year?

Starts at 10:57

Fourth Quarter – What is the biggest need for the Cavaliers this offseason?

Starts at 18:08

Overtime – With the future of players like Marreese Speights, Daniel Gibson and Shaun Livingston with the Cavs up in the air, who should fight to bring back?

Starts at 22:55

Double Overtime – Who will be representing the Eastern and Western Conferences in the playoffs?

Starts at 29:20

Make sure to join us next Tuesday for your weekly dose of “Tuesdays with Right Down Euclid.”