Chuck Person, known by many as 'The Rifleman', has officially dropped his "special assistant" tag for the Indiana Pacers and will move to the bench next season as an assistant coach, replacing Cavaliers Head Coach Mike Brown.

Person played his first six NBA seasons for the Pacers, receiving the Rookie of the Year award in 1987. He has performed a hybrid role the past three years, working with players in individual workouts and assisting CEO Donnie Walsh and team president Larry Bird in the front office.

"Having a chance to work in the front office was a great opportunity, but at the end of the day my heart lies with coaching," Person said. "I'm really looking forward to helping the team move forward."

Carlisle said he had made contact with other candidates, including Kenny Natt, an ex-Pacer who worked on Cleveland's coaching staff last season. Once Carlisle became aware of Person's interest, however, he cut off his search.

"I wasn't sure if Chuck was interested in going to the bench, but about three days ago we had a conversation and he let me and Kevin (O'Neill) know he was very interested in doing it," Carlisle said. "That was great news.

"Chuck knows our team and our players are comfortable with him. It's a ready-made direction to go. I'm really glad the interest was there on his side."