INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — The Cavaliers aren’t chasing a championship this spring. They’re pursuing a coach.

This time, methodically.

No longer NBA title contenders, Cleveland is in the initial stages of an expansive, open-minded search general manager Koby Altman hopes leads to finding a coach to align with his young team, which is coming off a 63-loss season.

“We have to preach patience and we have to continue to grow this thing and we have to find a leader that’s obsessed with that process of growing,” Altman said Friday while outlining the type of candidates he’ll interview. “We’re tasked with doing that. We’re excited about the next steps. We’re done in April for the first time in four years, so we have a lot of time.”

At this time a year ago, the Cavs were preparing to make another deep playoff run. They made the Finals for the fourth straight year, but fell short in June against Golden State and then suffered a more devastating blow when LeBron James left a month later. The team endured severe growing pains this past season, which included a coaching change and countless injuries, but Altman believes better days lie ahead.

“The future is bright,” he said.

His task is finding the right coach to lead the Cavs into it.

Altman plans to cast a “wide net” in his search for the fifth coach since 2013. He and his staff are paring down a list of potential candidates that will include former head coaches, current assistants — including some on playoff teams — as well as college coaches.