Could Bickerstaff has coached his last game for the Cavs?
With the Cleveland Cavaliers’ season over, attention now turns to the offseason. And J.B. Bickerstaff’s status as head coach is one of the summer’s big questions.
Per The Athletic’s Joe Vardon, Shams Charania and Jason Lloyd, Bickertstaff’s job is in “serious jeopardy. The report also notes that the Cavs will take “some time” to make a decision about Bickerstaff, who has been in charge for the Cavs for the last five-plus years.
League sources briefed on the Cavaliers’ mindset told The Athletic that Bickerstaff’s job is in serious jeopardy after five and a half years as head coach, following the team’s season-ending loss in Game 5 of the second round to the Boston Celtics. Two league sources said the team is likely to take some time — multiple days — to make a decision. Bickerstaff, despite all the pressure he and members of the organization above and below him were under this season, has built equity with the front office and was at the helm for Cleveland’s first appearance in a conference semifinal since 2018. This spring marked the Cavs’ first playoff series win without LeBron James on the roster since 1993.
Bickerstaff has done an admirable job with the Cavs. He took over for John Beilein at a low point for the organization and has been with the team on their ascent from one of the worst teams in the league to a team that, with some plays, made it to the second round this year. It’s worth noting that, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the organization is “fond” of Bickerstaff.
But is he the exact right coach for this team at this point in time? Is he the guy who can get the team to evolve and hit that next level? Or is there someone better out there? That’s the question the Cavs will be answering in the coming days.
