Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, May 25, 1993 TAG: 9305250027
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHFIELD, OHIO LENGTH: Medium
Wilkens, the second-winningest coach in NBA history, quit the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, exactly one week after yet another playoff failure against Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. The Cavaliers made the playoffs five times during Wilkens' seven years as coach. Four of those times, they were ousted by the Bulls.
"It's been a great seven years here with the Cavaliers," Wilkens, 55, said in a prepared statement. "However, I think it's time to move on."
Wilkens had one year remaining on a contract that reportedly would have paid him $750,000 next season. During the past week, he has been mentioned as a potential candidate for coaching vacancies with the Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Clippers.
"He said he thought a lot about it and had decided it was time to move on," said Gordon Gund, co-owner and chairman of the board of the Cavaliers. "He felt that maybe there was something to the fact that he had been heard too much by the players, that it was possibly time for a new voice and a new coach."
Together with general manager Wayne Embry, Wilkens helped restore respect to a Cleveland franchise that had become a laughingstock during several years of mismanagement under former owner Ted Stepien in the early 1980s. The 1986 draft, which brought Brad Daugherty, Mark Price and Ron Harper to the team, provided the foundation for the rebuilding effort.
This season, the Cavaliers exceeded 50 victories for the third time in Wilkens' seven years. The 54 wins brought his career total with Cleveland, Seattle and Portland to 869, second in NBA history only to Red Auerbach's 938 with the Boston Celtics.
Keywords:
BASKETBALL
by CNB