7 coaching candidates for the Cavaliers (Kenny Atkinson!) after J.B. Bickerstaff was fired
Kenny Atkinson is likely the favorite to take over for J.B. Bickerstaff in Cleveland.
Despite finishing with one of the best records in the Eastern Conference, the Cleveland Cavaliers have reportedly fired head coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
Bickerstaff had worked in Cleveland since 2019 and took over as head coach of the franchise in 2020. But after falling short in the postseason, the Cavaliers will look to hire their sixth head coach in the past decade.
Cleveland enters the offseason at a significant crossroads with tough decisions to make about the future of their roster with potential positional overlap in both the frontcourt and backcourt. They could potentially rebuild their core or simply make some small moves around the edges.
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The decision about who takes over the job will answer significant questions about the future of the franchise.
Cleveland is reportedly looking for a “fresh approach” and president of basketball operations Koby Altman and general manager Mike Gansey will lead the search, per ESPN.
Here is more on what the organization may look for in their next coach that they did not find in Bickerstaff (via The Athletic):
“Multiple league sources have said, for months, that Mitchell did not have great confidence in Bickerstaff, and he was not alone. Several players questioned Bickerstaff’s strategies, game management, practice habits and accountability measures, privately and publicly, throughout the season.”
Additionally, per The Athletic, veterans on the roster were upset that Bickerstaff treated the team as a young team that had a lot to learn “instead of as a team ready to contend” right away. The workouts were reportedly too intense and lacked structure.
Players on the roster reportedly questioned the “strategies, game management, practice habits and accountability measures” of Bickerstaff during the season. These are all worth considering when the coaching search continues. We’ve handicapped some candidates below for entertainment purposes.