<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">CLEVELAND - Dan Gilbert always thinks big, and his aspirations for the Cavaliers' next general manager fit that mold. The Cavaliers owner fired team president and general manager Jim Paxson on Thursday, a move Gilbert likely had been planning for weeks. While he was refusing to deny rumors that Paxson would be let go, he also was plotting his next move. NBA insiders said Gilbert will make a serious pitch to acquire Detroit Pistons coach Larry Brown to be his next general manager once the Pistons complete their playoff run. The Pistons have Brown under contract for three more years. He signed a five-year, $25 million deal before leading the Pistons to a NBA championship last season. Due to health problems that have caused him to miss 16 games this season, Brown has expressed that he might want to leave the coaching ranks. Detroit area native Gilbert is a life-long Pistons fan and one of his companies, Rock Financial, is the club's biggest sponsor. His dream is to turn the Cavaliers and their arena into a close facsimile of what the Pistons have built in Detroit. Brown is a known wanderer who always seems to be interested in options other than his current job. He caused some hubbub earlier this season when he expressed passing desire to coach the New York Knicks. Brown has a long line of successful assistants on the professional and collegiate levels who could become candidates to be the next coach of the Cavaliers.</div> Source
