David Griffin

Is Cavaliers general manager David Griffin close to hiring a coach?

(AP)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Are the Cavaliers looking to hire Maccabi Tel Aviv's David Blatt as their head coach?

An NBA source said Blatt is one of a number of coaches the Cavs have spoken to, but that no interview has been scheduled. At least part of the reason is that Blatt's team is still playing in Israel. He was in the United States this week because his father died in Phoenix. He also has spoken to Golden State and Minnesota about assistant coaching positions. It's possible Minnesota coach Flip Saunders is looking at Blatt as his eventual successor.

The Cavs have not commented on their coaching search, and Blatt's agent, Mike Tannenbaum, did not return a message seeking comment.

Blatt, 55, a Massachusetts native who played for Pete Carril at Princeton, is widely viewed as an offensive genius after playing and coaching overseas for more than 30 years. He just led Maccabi Tel Aviv to a come-from-behind victory over CSKA Moscow in the Euroleague semifinals and an upset victory over Real Madrid for the championship. He also coached Russia to a bronze medal in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The Cavs' Sergey Karasev played on that team.

The search to replace Mike Brown, who was fired on May 12, is about to enter its fourth week. It is believed five candidates have interviewed for the position, including former NBA head coaches Vinny Del Negro, Alvin Gentry and Lionel Hollins, as well as up-and-coming assistants Adrian Griffin of the Chicago Bulls and Tyronn Lue of the Los Angeles Clippers.