HoopsHype.com Rumors

Mary Schmitt Boyer/Tom Reed: #Cavs are in the midst of hiring assistant to replace Chris Jent but likely won't be making announcement in the next day or two Twitter

Cleveland Cavaliers, Chris Jent 

Tom Reed: #Cavs not close on hiring new assistant to replace Chris Jent. Coach Byron Scott has had informal discussions w/ handful of people, but Scott is still searching for right fit. Twitter

Cleveland Cavaliers, Byron Scott, Coaching, Chris Jent 

Cavs coach Byron Scott is looking to find a replacement for departed assistant coach Chris Jent, who left the Cavs for a position on Coach Thad Matta’s staff at Ohio State. “He’s a tough guy to replace,” Scott said. “C.J. and I had an unbelievable relationship. He fit in extremely well with the team and what we did as a coaching staff.” Scott is looking for some of Jent’s characteristics in the coach he will hire. “(He has to be) good with the X’s and O’s, very good with the players, a very good communicator, and someone who gets along with us very well,” Scott said. “That cohesiveness has to be there, just like with the players.” News-Herald

Cleveland Cavaliers, Byron Scott, Coaching, Chris Jent 

Chris Jent will leave the Cavaliers to join Ohio State's basketball staff as an assistant coach, a source confirmed to The Plain Dealer. Jent played for the Buckeyes from 1988-92, scoring 1,007 career points while helping Ohio State to back-to-back Big Ten titles and three straight NCAA Tournament appearances. He'll fill the spot created by the resignation of Brandon Miller, who stepped away two weeks ago to spend more time with his family. Cleveland Plain Dealer

Cleveland Cavaliers, Coaching, Chris Jent 

Jent spent the past four years on Mike Brown's staff. When Brown was fired and James left for the Miami Heat, suddenly Jent's coaching future was very much uncertain — and he didn't like what he was hearing around the league. A self-admitted poor networker, Jent contacted nearly every team in the NBA to gauge its interest in him. The responses were all the same: He had been labeled as James' guy. ''It was a myth I had to dispel,'' he said. ''People were saying, 'Were you even employed by the Cavaliers?' So yeah, I was worried about that.'' Akron Beacon Journal

Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James, Coaching, Mike Brown, Chris Jent 

''I was explaining to teams that I was working with LeBron because LeBron worked for the Cavaliers,'' Jent said. ''LeBron wanted me to help out with him and my boss wanted me to be there, too. So that's what I was doing. I wasn't doing anything different than all NBA coaches who are doing that. We're in the business of making people better, and we take pride in that. I'm no different than anyone else in this league.'' Akron Beacon Journal

Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James, Coaching, Mike Brown, Chris Jent 

Aside from all the uncertainty about LeBron's future prior to his signing with the Heat, and the uncertainty about the Cavaliers' new direction in the weeks after the signing, Jent had to worry about his own future. Early last month, the Cavs hired Byron Scott to replace Mike Brown as head coach, leaving Jent's position on the team in doubt. It wasn't until July 29 that Cleveland announced Jent was being retained as an assistant coach. "It was touch-and-go for a while," Jent said. "I didn't know. Our summer league out in Las Vegas was like an interview process. They basically were just trying to look at me, at what I could bring to their staff. And they offered me the job after we got back from Vegas. "I did not have another offer. I had conversations with a number of teams. Things were still floating around, but nothing rock-solid." New Jersey Herald

Cleveland Cavaliers, Coaching, Chris Jent 

Now that he's back with Cleveland, Jent is looking forward to working with Scott, who as a player along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and James Worthy helped the Los Angeles Lakers win three championships, and who as a coach guided the New Jersey Nets to consecutive Eastern Conference titles. "He's a strong personality," Jent said of Scott. "He comes in, he's no-nonsense. He's going to expect things, accountability, from our players. And he has a great wealth of knowledge as far as how to be successful as a team. He's coached great players, he's played with great players, so I'm definitely excited about the opportunity." New Jersey Herald

Cleveland Cavaliers, Byron Scott, Coaching, Chris Jent 

Jent says even a player at LeBron's elite level was receptive to coaching. "He was," Jent said, "but at the same time, he had strong opinions. That's part of coaching, though. You're not always going to say something someone wants to hear. He has his opinions, his view on the game and on himself and the way things should work. So at times, you don't see eye to eye." New Jersey Herald

Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James, Coaching, Chris Jent 

Byron Scott fills out #Cavs coaching staff. Chris Jent, Jamahl Mosley and Joe Prunty join top assistant Paul Pressey. Jent is only holdover Twitter