Report: Cavs being linked to coach from NBA title contender

A report from Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com has connected the Cleveland Cavaliers to an assistant coach who is part one of the three coaching staffs still kicking in the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

“The Cavs are expected to ask for permission to interview Johnny Bryant, the associate head coach of the New York Knicks, and the belief around the league is that the Cavs are also hoping to have an interview with Micah Nori, the assistant coach from the Minnesota Timberwolves,” Fedor said.

Nori, who is the Timberwolves’ top assistant coach, has served as a key leader for Minnesota from the sidelines for much of the team’s playoff run after head coach Chris Finch ruptured his patellar tendon during the team’s first-round series against the Phoenix Suns.

He has a whole lot of experience as an assistant coach at the NBA level. Nori began his run as an assistant coach at the pro level with the Toronto Raptors back in the 2009-10 campaign and has been on an NBA coaching staff every season since.

During his time in the NBA’s coaching ranks, he also functioned as an assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings, Denver Nuggets and Detroit Pistons on top of his stints with Minnesota and Toronto.

Considering the collective success that the Timberwolves have enjoyed during the 2024 NBA Playoffs with Nori patrolling the sidelines, it is no wonder that his name is being connected to the Cavaliers in light of the team’s decision to fire J.B. Bickerstaff.

Nori this season helped the Timberwolves to their first appearance in the Western Conference Finals in two decades. The last time the Timberwolves advanced to this stage was in 2004, the same season Kevin Garnett won league MVP honors.

In order to secure its berth in the 2024 Western Conference Finals, Minnesota had to eliminate the 2023 NBA champions in the Denver Nuggets in the second round. The Timberwolves were trailing in the series 2-3 at one point after dropping Games 3, 4 and 5, but Minnesota responded by beating the Nuggets in Games 6 and 7.

It is worth noting that the Timberwolves’ odds of making their first NBA Finals are long, though. Minnesota is in a 1-3 series hole against the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals after taking Game 4 of the best-of-seven series to stay alive. No team in NBA playoff history has rallied all the way back from an 0-3 deficit to advance.