Cavs fire general manager

Jim Paxson was fired Thursday as general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers, whose stunning second-half collapse this season cost them their first trip to the NBA playoffs in seven years.

Paxson's dismissal has been expected for weeks and came exactly one month after Paul Silas was fired as coach by owner Dan Gilbert, who has had a tumultuous first 50 days running the franchise.

The Cavaliers were 31-21 on Feb. 25, and 34-30 when Silas was fired. But the team fell apart down the stretch despite the play of LeBron James and finished 42-40, losing a tiebreaker with New Jersey for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Gilbert, who took over as principal owner from Gordon Gund on March 1, said he released Paxson with two years and $2 million left on the GM's contract because he said change was necessary.

"We felt the team had made progress in the past two years," Gilbert said. "But to get to a championship level we felt we needed to bring our own people in."

Gilbert also said interim coach Brendan Malone, who went 8-10 after taking over for Silas, will not be a candidate to be the Cavs' next coach. Malone, however, will remain with the organization.

In missing the playoffs again, the Cavaliers wasted an MVP-caliber year from James, who averaged 27.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.2 assists in his second pro season. Gilbert, who made his fortune in online mortgage banking, understands the importance of bringing in better players to complement James.

"We've got who we feel is the best basketball player in the game," Gilbert said. "We need to build a team around him and not settle for mediocrity or a .500 season. We want to win a championship or more."

Gilbert said he doesn't have names for a possible successor to Paxson. He wants Cleveland's next GM to hire the team's coach.

Gilbert said Paxson handled his dismissal as well as could be expected.

"Jim has been a class act the entire time," he said. "He has a wealth of knowledge and has been the consummate professional."

A two-time All-Star as a player, Paxson's six-year tenure as Cleveland's GM will be remembered for poor draft picks, a litany of head coaching changes, the arrival of LeBron James, Carlos Boozer's defection as a free agent, but perhaps most importantly, no playoff appearances.