Report: Cavs fire head coach Mike Brown, eyeing Bulls assistant Adrian Griffin as replacement

Well that was quick.

Just minutes after the Cavaliers announced the firing of head coach Mike Brown, Jeff Zillgitt and Sam Amick of USA Today reported that Chicago Bulls assistant Adrian Griffin is the top candidate to replace the outgoing Brown.

Griffin, a former nine-year NBA journeyman, spent the past six seasons as an assistant coach in Milwaukee and Chicago. He was originally hired by former Bucks coach Scott Skiles in 2008, and signed on to work in the Bulls organization from 2010 onward.

If his stewardship under Skiles and Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau is any indication of his coaching philosophy, Griffin will look to bring a defense-first approach to the defensively deficient Cavaliers. Ironically, if Griffin secures the job, he would be supplanting another supposed defensive specialist in Brown. 

As a player, Griffin played for several noted coaches, including Rick Pitino, Jeff Van Gundy and Don Nelson. In addition to his NBA duties, Griffin is also currently pursuing a Ph.D in leadership studies.