Despite reaching the Eastern Conference semi-finals for the first time in 6 seasons, the Cleveland Cavaliers have parted ways with head coach J.B. Bickerstaff on Thursday.
Originally replacing John Beilein as interim coach back in 2020, Bickerstaff amassed a 170-159 (.517) record across five seasons with the Cavaliers. Cleveland entered the postseason as the East’s 4th seed following a 48-34 regular season.
“J.B. is a well-respected NBA coach and an incredible human-being,” said Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations 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 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.”
After defeating the Orlando Magic in 7 games in round 1, the Cavaliers were quickly bounced by the Celtics in 5 games in the second round. Jarrett Allen and Donovan Mitchell both missed the final two games of the series with injuries.
Cleveland plans to conduct an extensive search for their next head coach. However, according to reports, current Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson is a name to watch as the interview process gets underway.
Photo: Erik Drost. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.