Cavs fire Mike Brown: Candidates emerge, money reportedly no issue, may play up-tempo

It didn't take long for speculation to begin as to who may replace Mike Brown as the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

Brown was fired on Monday, just one year into a five-year contract, meaning he'll have now worked just two years but been paid for nine across his stints with the Cavs and Lakers. That's good work if you can get it, especially since his .616 career winning percentage is such that the 44-year-old will probably find another job eventually.

In any case, he's out, and new general manager David Griffin's first job as the official GM will be to find a replacement. Luckily for him, ESPN reports that for the Cavaliers, money will not be an issue, with win-now owner Dan Gilbert's willingness to spend still present.

That same ESPN report notes that Griffin has a relationship with red-hot free agent coach Steve Kerr, he of the limitless suitors and 0-0 career coaching record. As a former Phoenix Suns executive, like Griffin, Kerr could be inclined to employ the style of play that Griffin reportedly prefers - up-tempo and with more threes.

That sounds a bit like former Suns coach and now-unemployed Mike D'Antoni, doesn't it? There's no word that he's a candidate, but he fits the bill as much as Kerr does, in theory.

Earlier, USA Today had reported that Adrian Griffin, a Chicago Bulls assistant, was also a top candidate. A Griffin-Griffin pairing? That won't be confusing. Other candidates reportedly include Vinny Del Negro, Alvin Gentry and D'Antoni, all do to their Phoenix ties, and John Beilein of Michigan and Tony Bennett of Virginia from the college ranks.

Oh, and there's also the matter of the Cleveland pipe-dream of luring LeBron James back to Cleveland this summer. if that's even a remote possibility, the team will look to a coach that is James-approved.