After he introduced the workforce again to respectability, the Cleveland Cavaliers fired their outdated coach J.B. Bickerstaff in 2024. Since then, he is turned the Detroit Pistons round, who’re nonetheless 21-6 after a last-second extra time loss to the Dallas Mavericks Thursday, 116-114. They’re main the Jap Convention, whereas the Cavs have misplaced seven of their final 10 video games.
Bickerstaff received 170 video games with the Cavaliers after taking on as head coach in 2020, dropping his job after the Boston Celtics defeated them within the second spherical of the playoffs in 5 video games. Cleveland received 64 below new coach Kenny Atkinson final season, however the season ended the identical means: a five-game loss within the second spherical.
J.B. Bickerstaff has been unappreciated in his teaching profession
The 46-year-old Bickerstaff obtained his first head-coaching alternative within the 2015-16 season, when the Houston Rockets dismissed Kevin McHale after a 4-7 begin. He went 37-34 and obtained the Rockets to the playoffs, earlier than they changed him with Mike D’Antoni the subsequent season.
Bickerstaff moved on to the Memphis Grizzlies, the place he took over for the fired David Fizdale in 2017. It was a tricky gig. The Grizzlies’ second-highest-paid participant, Chandler Parsons, performed solely 36 video games, and their second-best participant, Mike Conley, performed solely 12. Throughout 2018-19, Bickerstaff’s solely full season with the Grizzlies, they traded franchise icon Marc Gasol at midseason.
After John Beilein resigned in 2020, Bickerstaff took over a 14-40 workforce and went 5-6. Two seasons, they have been 44-38 and had the NBA’s No. 7 protection and went on to win 99 video games over the subsequent two seasons. Bickerstaff helped develop Darius Garland and Evan Mobley into All-Stars, obtained the Cavs their first playoff sequence win within the post-LeBron James period and obtained unceremoniously fired for his bother.
Protection has been a trademark of J.B. Bickerstaff groups
Younger coaches usually find yourself in conditions like Bickerstaff, the place the primary alternatives come as interim, midseason replacements. That signifies that the workforce’s season is already going badly once they take over. Bickerstaff’s profession document of 320-333 does not precisely replicate his teaching acumen, because it consists of three seasons the place he needed to clear up for the earlier coach.
Bickerstaff had robust defenses in Cleveland, rating seventh, first and sixth in his final three seasons. With the Pistons final season, the workforce went from No. 26 in protection to No. 11, and from 14 wins to 44. This 12 months they’re 22-5 and have the NBA’s second-best protection. The Cavaliers are 15-13 and twelfth in protection.
Certain, Bickerstaff inherited a workforce with glorious younger gamers Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren. They’re simply two of the gamers who’ve improved below Bickerstaff, and each these gamers have been additionally on the 14-win workforce of 2023-24. Including high quality veterans helped, however Bickerstaff was crucial offseason acquisition the Pistons made earlier than final season.
Kenny Atkinson received 64 video games and received Coach of the 12 months final season. The Cavaliers nonetheless could have made an enormous mistake letting their outdated coach go.
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