Cavaliers Links Roundup: Mark Price, John Calipari, George Karl, and other potential coaching candidates

The Cleveland Cavaliers need a head coach. If Dan Gilbert and David Griffin need any help finding the right guy for that position, there are plenty of bloggers willing to offer some advice. I presented my three favorite options on Wednesday, although one of those options is no longer available.

WayneEmbrysKids submitted his pitch for Mark Price to get the job:

"This is the Mark Price of today, the one that learned to persevere by shooting his own endless shots as a young man in Enid, Oklahoma, who learned to coach under his father, an Oklahoma basketball legend, who discovered the concept of a spread team play on offense and defense under Lenny Wilkens, who was taught defensive theory under Mike Fratello and Rick Adelman. Who played for Hall of Famer Chuck Daly on the Orlando Magic. Who won a gold medal on Dream Team II with the winningest coach in NBA history Don Nelson. This is who Kemba Walker will miss if he moves on and into a head coaching role."

Meanwhile, Sam Amico reported on Wednesday that the Cavs have an interest in John Calipari. Gary Parrish points out the obvious connection that Calipari has to one former Cavs player:

"Either way, it would be naïve to suggest Calipari isn't, at the very least, positioning himself to maybe have options, and it would be just as naïve to deny that any NBA franchise would consider hiring Calipari if it gave them an advantage in a pursuit of [LeBron James] -- who, it should be noted, can become a free agent this summer, if he wants."

On the subject of LeBron, Michael Rosenberg of SI thinks it is realistic that the Chosen One could come back to Cleveland -- in 2015:

"If James simply picks up his option, rather than sign an extension, that means he can be a free agent in 2015, and then he can pick up another option and be a free agent in 2016. That gives Cleveland at least one more year to create a team that can lure him back. It's a long shot, certainly. But James would know who the coach is, and as bad as the Cavs look right now, fortunes can change fast in the NBA. What if Cleveland makes one or two good trades, hires the right coach, uses its lottery pick wisely and earns the No. 5 seed in the East next year? Wouldn't that be enticing to James?"

Also according to Amico, George Karl is definitely interested in the coaching job. It is unclear whether or not Gilbert and Griffin would be interested in him, though.

Josh at Real Cavs Fans throws out an interesting name:

"My ideal scenario is a guy like VCU's Shaka Smart. He's not John Calipari who recruits the best players in the country every year. In his five years as the head coach at VCU, Smart has a winning percentage just under 75% with an overall record of 137-46. He's also added four straight NCAA tournament appearances including a Final Four berth in his second season as a head coach."

And finally, in non-coaching news, Zak at Right Down Euclid discusses free agent Luol Deng:

"Deng, who will be entering his 11th season, has passed his prime and is trending downward as far as production and usefulness go. His offensive rating stands at an average 106, while his usage percentage dipped to 20.6 percent with the Cavs, his lowest since his first All-Star season."