Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers fired coach J.B. Bickerstaff after four-plus seasons Thursday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn
Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman and GM Mike Gansey will start to formulate a list in coming days, but one candidate to monitor: Golden State assistant Kenny Atkinson. He coached Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert to playoffs with Nets. https://t.co/9GMvmp49BJ
Bickerstaff went 170-159 during his tenure in Cleveland, which began late in the 2019-20 season when John Beilein resigned. The 45-year-old oversaw a rebuild that began with a 22-50 record in 2020-21 before he turned things around with three straight winning seasons.
Cleveland went 48-34 this season despite its roster being mired with injuries and advanced to the second round of the playoffs before being eliminated by the Boston Celtics. It was the first time the Cavs franchise advanced past the first round without LeBron James since 1993.
Still, Charania reported Bickstaff’s job was in jeopardy after Cleveland’s loss to Boston. Players on the roster—most notably star Donovan Mitchell—bristled at Bickerstaff’s coaching decisions as the 2023-24 season progressed. Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman also reportedly admonished Bickerstaff for playing Mitchell too many minutes in the regular season.
Bickerstaff also seemed to hint at agendas within his locker room when praising the Celtics.
“You watch the way they play the game and how unselfish the game is played—they have really talented players throughout their lineup, but they all understand their role and they all play their role in a way that’s just going to help them win.
“You sit back and watch the film and study them, you don’t see guys stepping outside of who they are in a way that it’s going to impact other people,” Bickerstaff said. “They don’t mind a Derrick White going off. If he’s going off, they allow him to do his thing. If you give him the ball and put him in position to be successful, and the other guys become great, equally. I think you watch them and it doesn’t appear from the outside that it’s about ‘me’ at all, right? It’s about winning. It’s about winning consistently.”
Bickerstaff previously spent parts of two seasons as the head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies and one year as the interim coach of the Houston Rockets. Overall, he’s posted a 255-290 record.
Cleveland firing Bickerstaff is the first major move in a critical offseason. Mitchell can become a free agent after the 2024-25 season, and the Cavs are expected to offer him a four-year max contract extension. If Mitchell declines the offer, they will almost certainly have to explore trading the five-time All-Star.
Given the seemingly rocky state of Bickerstaff’s relationship with Mitchell, it’s understandable to move on now.
