The team has been looking to fill the head coach position for 5 weeks now and we found out that on Tuesday the Los Angeles Lakers assistant Brian Shaw met in Cleveland with owner Dan Gilbert and front-office members about the Cavaliers’ coaching vacancy.

The visit comes just a few days before free agency opens on July 1st and the lottery games begin in the hunt for LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and more. The Cavs of course are hoping they can convince James to re-sign and come back for an eighth season—and more. At the same time Cleveland would like to have a coach in place by July 1 to settle what has so far been a tumultuous offseason.

It has not yet been publically announced if the club has offered its coaching position to Shaw.

The 43-year-old Shaw has spent five seasons on Phil Jackson’s staff in Los Angeles. A 14-year NBA veteran, with no head coaching experience he is still considered the front runner to replace Jackson if the 11-time champion retires. Jackson, who has some health concerns, is expected to announce his plans within the next two weeks.

The Cavaliers have been in search for a coach since firing Mike Brown on May 24 following their second-round playoff loss to Boston. The team has already been turned down by Tom Izzo, who rejected a reported $30 million offer to stay at Michigan State.

Former New Orleans coach Byron Scott is also believed to be a favorable candidate for the Cavs’ coaching job. Scott has had several talks with the Cavs and met with Gilbert, general manager Chris Grant and other members of Cleveland’s ownership group on Father’s Day in Michigan. However, there was no job offer on the table from the Cavs and so far no update has been given on the situation in regards to Scott.

The team also had talks with Milwaukee assistant Kelvin Sampson and former Atlanta coach Mike Woodson.

The Cavs favor a defensive-minded coach. However, the club is intrigued by Shaw’s knowledge of Jackson’s triangle offense, a system that could entice James to stay with Cleveland. More updates on this situation soon as the Free Agent Frenzy of 2010 is set to begin in 2 days.