http://espn.go.com/nba/news/2003/0525/1558857.html Look out Cavaliers, the Rockets might be after your man. A source familiar with the Rockets' decision-making process told the Houston Chronicle that general manager Carroll Dawson might call the Knicks as early as Sunday to request permission to talk with former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy. Dawson told the Chronicle late Saturday that his search has not begun, just two days after Rudy Tomjanovich stepped down as coach to take another job within the organization. Dawson plans to meet with Rockets owner Leslie Alexander on Sunday to devise a "game plan." "We're still trying to catch our breath," Dawson told the Chronicle. Van Gundy, a TNT analyst who is under contract with the Knicks though July 31, would not comment about the Rockets' position Saturday. He did say he has had no conversations with anyone about the job. Van Gundy added that reports he already has accepted the Cavs' job are inaccurate -- 1050 ESPN Radio in New York reported last week that he will be named Cavs coach, with an announcement likely this week. According to a report in the New York Daily News, the Knicks already granted New Orleans, Toronto and Cleveland permission to speak with Van Gundy. Paul Silas remains the other leading candidate to become the Cavaliers' next coach, general manager Jim Paxson told The Associated Press on Friday. The Cavs fired John Lucas in midseason after a poor start, and replaced him with assistant Keith Smart. Whomever the Cavs settle on, that person will be the first pro coach for LeBron James, the high school star the Cavaliers will take with the first overall pick in the June 26 draft. Cleveland got the rights to James by winning the lottery drawing Thursday night. Van Gundy is the club's preferred choice, but he is waiting to explore other opportunities before deciding whether to return to the NBA. Before the lottery, Paxson said he wanted to have a coach in place before the draft. Although the Cavaliers now have the right to pick James, Paxson said he's in no rush to get a coach. "The lottery, we couldn't control,'' he told The AP. "We can control the coaching search. We're moving forward. To give it a timeline? I'm not ready to do that. We feel we have two quality candidates we're talking to specifically. "It has to be a marriage on both sides,'' he said. "It's not just a LeBron issue. It's an overall commitment to getting better.''
