Brown had a 272-138 record with the Cavaliers, but the team failed to make the Eastern Conference finals this year after it posted the NBA's best regular-season record and went into the playoffs a heavy favorite to win a championship.
"After a long and deep analysis of all of the factors that led to the disappointing early ends to our playoff runs over the past two seasons, we concluded that it was time for the Cavaliers to move in a different direction," Cavaliers majority owner Dan Gilbert said in a statement.
The move comes about two weeks after Cleveland was knocked out of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics and as two-time league MVP LeBron James decides whether to remain with the team or become a free agent.
Brown compiled a 42-29 post-season record in Cleveland and brought the team to at least the second round of the playoffs in each of his five seasons. They lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the 2007 NBA finals.
(Writing by Gene Cherry in Raleigh, North Carolina; Editing by Frank Pingue)
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