Cavaliers fire head coach J.B. Bickerstaff following consecutive playoff appearances
The Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday fired head coach J.B. Bickerstaff following a 48-34 season and second-round loss to the Boston Celtics.
Bickerstaff coached the Cavs for four-plus seasons, going from 22 victories in 2020-21 to 51 last season and 48 this season, good for the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Despite that improvement, Bickerstaff fell out of favor with players, according to reports by The Athletic and Cleveland.com.
Bickerstaff, 45, was 170-159 and made the playoffs twice during his time with the Cavaliers. He joined the Cavs as an associate head coach under John Beilein in 2019 and took over for Beilein later in the 2019-20 season. The Cavs made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons without LeBron James on the roster for the first time since 1995 and 1996.
"J.B. is a well-respected NBA coach and an incredible human-being," Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman said in news release. "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.
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"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."
It is an attractive job, and Altman will put together a list of coaching candidates. Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland form a strong backcourt, and Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley give the Cavs an interior presence, especially defensively. Mitchell can become a free agent following the 2024-25 season, and the Cavs also need to determine if he is part of their long-term plans.