by Terry Pluto, Plain Dealer Columnist , Plain Dealer

ABOUT THE BROWNS . . .

I have no problem with Randy Lerner talking to both general manager and coaching candidates. The owner has to make sure his two top football men not only can work together, but also understand the division of power. For example, who hires assistant coaches? Romeo Crennel hired most of his first group, but GM Phil Savage hired some of the assistants (Rob Chudzinski, for one) after the 2006 season. Then, Crennel fired Todd Grantham (whom Savage sort of liked) and replaced the defensive coordinator with Mel Tucker for 2008.

* According to NFL rules, Lerner had to interview defensive coordinators Jim Schwartz (Tennessee) and Steve Spagnuolo (N.Y. Giants) last week, during their teams' playoff bye weeks. This will help Lerner get to know the men who could be considered coaching candidates by his new GM. The same with a chance to talk to fired Jets head coach Eric Mangini, who seems destined to be hired by someone soon, as the Browns are not the only team interested in him.

* But I still believe the process should be to get the general manager in place first. It is possible to hire the coach first - as the Cavaliers did with Mike Brown - because they knew Danny Ferry liked Brown and that the two were close from their days in San Antonio. The Cavs were waiting for the Spurs to finish the playoffs before they could hire Ferry, who was an assistant GM in San Antonio.

* It's doubtful the pairing of Scott Pioli (GM) and Mangini as coach would work. They get along, but it seems Pioli has other ideas about coaches. If Lerner hires Pioli, he has to trust his new GM to pick a coach. And if Lerner is sold on Mangini, he must find a GM who feels the same way - and who also can do the job of running the football organization. You can't force a coach down the throat of a GM, unless you already have a highly successful coach in place.

* I do know that Mangini is close to George Kokinis, the pro personnel director in Baltimore. He is a key assistant to GM Ozzie Newsome. If the Browns decide on the New England format - with Mangini being the out-front guy (like Bill Belichick) and Pioli working behind the scenes - that could be a Mangini-Kokinis model. Kokinis worked as a scout with the Browns from 1991 to 1995, where he shared an apartment with Mangini at one point.

* I don't want to hear about college coaches in the NFL. Some recent examples: Steve Spurrier (12-20 with Washington in 2002-03), Nick Saban (15-17, Miami, 2005-06), Bobby Petrino (3-10, Atlanta, 2006), Butch Davis (24-35, Browns, 2000-04). Davis and Petrino both quit during the season. All went back to college to coach, where they have more control over their schedule and rosters. While someone such as Urban Meyer is a terrific college coach, the odds are against him. The same is true of Iowa's Kirk Ferentz, who was a pro assistant. Saban and Davis likewise had pro experience, but it didn't seem to matter. The last college coach to move directly to the pros and be successful was Jimmy Johnson with Dallas from 1989-93.

ABOUT THE CAVS . . .

The next month might tell us whether the Cavs will have a very good regular season, or a great one. Zydrunas Ilgauskas will be out for a while with that nagging ankle injury - he probably came back too soon. Mike Brown should give some of those big-man minutes to rookie J.J. Hickson, but will the coach do that? The rookie has struggled on defense and with learning some plays. But he is gifted, as he showed Friday night with 13 points and six rebounds against the Bulls.

Anderson Varejao will start at center for Ilgauskas, with Ben Wallace having to play more power forward. While Varejao's offense has improved (9.2 points, 56 percent shooting and coming off a career-high 26 points against Chicago), that will never be his strength. Wallace is not a scorer. That's why Hickson makes more sense as the third big man than does veteran Lorenzen Wright or rookie Darnell Jackson. Hickson has a low-post, inside game. Wright is not a scorer of any type and Jackson is more of a medium-range jump shooter. Brown likes Jackson's defense and general court savvy in terms of knowing the plays and setting solid screens.

If it turns out Ilgauskas has a more-serious injury, the Cavs might have to trade for a big man such as Brad Miller, who might be available. That would probably mean parting with Wally Szczerbiak, who has one year and $13 million left on his contract. Right now, however, the Cavs are not moving in that direction, although a few teams have called about Szczerbiak. It also might take more than Szczerbiak to get a big man such as Miller.

Miller does have some baggage. He was suspended for the first five games of this season for violating the NBA's drug policy. He recently was late for practice, his excuse being he lost track of time while playing with his daughter. He makes $10.5 million this season, $11.4 million next year. He is 32, a two-time All-Star and Sacramento is open to trading him. The Cavs and other teams (perhaps Boston) that may be considering him have to figure out if he wants to fit into a winner, or if he'll be a distraction.

The Cavs need Daniel Gibson to start shooting like the Gibson of his first two years (43 percent from both the field and on 3-pointers.) Entering the weekend, he was at only 33 percent on 3-pointers, 39 percent from the field. Nearly half of his shots are 3-pointers, so he needs to raise that percentage. The rotation on his shot has not been as consistent this season. Teams are starting to play tight zones on the Cavs, enticing them to shoot long jumpers. So they need Gibson and Szczerbiak to make some jumpers when they come off the bench, but they also need more all-around offense, not just a pass and a quick shot. LeBron James is shooting only 30 percent on 3-pointers, the worst of his career, so get him closer to the basket.

Until Friday's 117-92 victory over Chicago, the Cavs went through a period where their ball movement and player movement was stagnant. That's a flash back to past seasons. The difference this season is that the players seem to realize it. The coaches have better guards in Delonte West and Mo Williams to kick the offense back into gear. Now, they must do it, and not fall back into the trap of passing to James while everyone watches him dribble, dribble, dribble and then shoot near the end of the 24-second clock.

TEN THINGS ABOUT THE TRIBE TRADE . . .

1 I wish the Indians were plugging Mark DeRosa in at second base, sliding Jhonny Peralta to third and giving Asdrubal Cabrera the shortstop job. But the Indians insist that DeRosa is much better at third base, and he is rated above average at the position. The Indians didn't say it, but he is supposed to have more range at third than Casey Blake or Andy Marte.

2 At second base, DeRosa is rated average at best. Cabrera is Gold Glove caliber at second. They think they can go another year with Peralta at short, but he eventually will be moved to third base.

3 Not much has been said about DeRosa as an outfielder, but he has an above average/right-field arm. If Shin-Soo Choo or Ben Francisco falter or are injured, DeRosa is an option in the outfield. Or if there is an injury in the middle infield, DeRosa can take over at second base.

4 DeRosa will be 34 in February. He has one year left at $5.5 million, so he can be a one-year rental. It's still mind-boggling that the 35-year-old Blake received a three-year, $17 million deal from the Dodgers. Great for Good Guy Casey, but in this tight market, it's an amazing blessing. By way of comparison, Blake batted .274 (.808 on-base plus slugging percentage) with 21 HRs and 81 RBI for the Tribe and Dodgers last season. DeRosa was at .285 (.857 OPS) 21 HRs, 87 RBI for the Cubs.

5 Playing at Wrigley field (and in Texas) before that helped DeRosa. Over the past three years, he hit .304 (.844 OPS) at home compared with .278 (.796 OPS) on the road. He actually had more HRs away (23) than at home (21) in only three more at-bats on the road. DeRosa is a solid player. In those past three seasons, the right-handed batter hit .283 vs. righties, .312 vs. lefties. It was .300 before the All-Star break, .281 after. Based on the past three years, DeRosa's typical season would be .291 with 15 HRs and 81 RBI.

6 The Indians had to decide whether they should wait for a free-agent starter to become available on a one-year deal (much like Kevin Millwood in 2005) right before spring training, or spend what is left on their budget for DeRosa. They could not afford to do both. They decided to pursue DeRosa, because if they passed, they could have ended up with nothing. Also, the Orioles continued to say they had no interest in trading Brian Roberts, so the Indians went after DeRosa - and beat out the Twins, who also wanted the Cubs' infielder.

7 Last season, DeRosa played 95 games (eight errors) at second, 38 in right field, 27 in left field and 22 at third base with two errors. Obviously, adding DeRosa puts Marte and Josh Barfield in limbo, as Jamey Carroll is the team's utility infielder. It allows the Indians to start future second baseman Luis Valbuena at Class AAA Columbus, rather than possibly rush him to the majors if Barfield had a poor spring.

8 New Tribe closer and fellow ex- Cub Kerry Wood gave DeRosa a huge endorsement, and the Indians like the fact that DeRosa gives them a No. 2 hitter they've lacked since Omar Vizquel and Coco Crisp in 2005. Last year, manager Eric Wedge tried several in that spot, including Cabrera, Carroll and Dave Dellucci. Over the past three seasons, DeRosa has a .368 on-base percentage, putting him in the top 25 percent among all players - and that's an asset at the top of the lineup. Why did DeRosa play second base when third is his best position? Because the Cubs have Aramis Ramirez (.289, 27 HRs, 111 RBI) at third.

9 I like Jeff Stevens - one of three pitchers the Tribe gave up for DeRosa - and believe he will be effective in the majors as a reliever. He throws in the 93-mph range and was 5-4 with a 3.24 ERA and 81 strikeouts in only 58 1/3 innings between Class AAA Buffalo and Class AA Akron last season. Opposing batters hit only .185. The other two pitchers in the deal - Chris Archer and John Gaub - were at the Class A level. Maybe they will pitch in the big leagues eventually, but it won't be soon.

10 I like the deal because it shows the Indians are playing for 2009, as does the signing of Wood and the deals for Joe Smith and, to a lesser extent, Valbuena. The Indians added all those players and the only big-leaguer lost in trades was Franklin Gutierrez.

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