NBA
Cavaliers Fire Coach J.B. Bickerstaff After Five Seasons
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The Cleveland Cavaliers fired coach J.B. Bickerstaff after five seasons and 170 wins, despite the NBA franchise securing its first berth in the Eastern Conference semifinals in six seasons.
J.B. Bickerstaff finishes 170-159 overall and 6-11 in playoffs as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers
Bickerstaff, 45, replaced John Beilein as interim coach in 2020. In five seasons, Bickerstaff went 170-159 (.517) as he guided the Cavaliers through a rebuild. Cleveland won 99 regular-season games in the past two seasons.
According to the Basketball-Reference database, Bickerstaff finishes his Cavaliers tenure with the fifth-most wins by a coach in franchise history.
In fact, Lenny Wilkens leads the all-time list with 316 wins across seven seasons, followed by Mike Brown (305 wins in six seasons), Bill Fitch (304 wins in nine seasons), and Mike Fratello (248 wins in six seasons).
The Cavaliers were the Eastern Conference’s fourth seed with a 48-34 record. Cleveland defeated the Orlando Magic in the first-round series. However, the Cavs went on to lose 4-1 against the Boston Celtics in the conference semifinals.
“J.B. is a well-respected NBA coach and an incredible human-being,” says Koby Altman. “Over the past four years, he helped establish a culture that progressively drove players to become the best versions of themselves. Decisions like these are never easy, particularly when you… pic.twitter.com/GHriGIwOcK
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) May 23, 2024
President of basketball operations Koby Altman and general manager Mike Gansey are reportedly searching for a coach who can help lead the Cavs deeper into the Eastern Conference playoffs, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
“J.B. is a well-respected NBA coach and an incredible human-being,” said Altman. “Over the past four years, he helped establish a culture that progressively drove players to become the best versions of themselves. Decisions like these are never easy, particularly when you look back at where this franchise rebuild started under his leadership.
“The NBA is a unique business that sometimes requires aggressive risk-taking to move a franchise forward and ultimately compete for championships. We owe a ton of gratitude for everything J.B. has contributed to the Cavaliers and his engagement in the Cleveland community. We wish J.B., his wife Nikki, and their three children the best in their future endeavors.”
Cleveland is targeting Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson, Pelicans associate James Borrego
Furthermore, a potential coaching candidate for Cleveland is Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson, who led the Brooklyn Nets to the playoffs with current Cavs center Jarrett Allen and guard Caris LeVert.
Another possible candidate is New Orleans Pelicans associate James Borrego, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
The Cleveland Cavaliers parted ways with head coach JB Bickerstaff, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson and Pelicans associate James Borrego are expected to be among candidates for the job. pic.twitter.com/PVU0ZUcRGb
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 23, 2024
The Cavaliers have enough talent to attack the basket and stretch the floor, including All-Star guards Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland and a reliable frontcourt of Allen and Evan Mobley.
Under Bickerstaff, the Cavaliers were seventh in defensive efficiency with Mitchell, Garland, Mobley, and Allen playing only 28 games together this season, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Additionally, Bickerstaff was Cleveland’s 23rd head coach in its 54-year history.
