CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Cavaliers got the player they've always wanted. Now, can they get the coveted coach?

Jeff Van Gundy and Paul Silas remain the leading candidates to become the Cavaliers' next coach, general manager Jim Paxson said Friday.

However, Van Gundy is denying reports from 1050 ESPN Radio in New York that he has reached a deal with the Cavaliers. Van Gundy, speaking during Friday's TNT broadcast of the Spurs-Mavericks game in Dallas, said that the Cavs are still deciding on their next head coach.

According to 1050 ESPN Radio, the official announcement naming Van Gundy will likely not be made until next week. Cavs president Len Komoroski, speaking on ESPN Radio's national network, said he could not comment on the report.

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 the former New York Knicks coach is waiting to explore other opportunities before deciding whether to return to the NBA. He's currently working as a TV analyst for TNT.

In addition to Cleveland, there are vacancies in New Orleans, Toronto, with the Los Angeles Clippers and in Houston after Rudy Tomjanovich stepped down Friday.

Paxson wouldn't comment when asked if he had offered Van Gundy or Silas the job. Cavaliers owner Gordon Gund and Paxson have interviewed both candidates, and they'll meet with Van Gundy and Silas again next week.

Gund also has met with Keith Smart, who became the team's interim coach when John Lucas was fired in February. Smart would only be an option for the Cavaliers if they can't reach a deal with Van Gundy or Silas, who was fired by the Hornets on May 4.

By landing James, the Cavaliers are a more attractive team to any coach, but Gund doesn't think that would be much of a factor with Van Gundy or Silas.

"I hope this isn't the only reason that (Van Gundy) would do it,'' Gund said. "It has to make them more interested. It certainly won't hurt. I'm hopeful they would want to come either way. I'm sure it will make a difference. The people we've talked to see the talent in the other players.''

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 said. "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.''

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.