*The next Cavs coach will have an elite defense before he blows the whistle. He’ll inherit a core that won 99 games over its last two seasons. He’ll have three rounds of playoff film to build from, and he’ll have his predecessor to thank for all of it.*
*Cleveland fired former coach J.B. Bickerstaff Thursday after a five-game series loss to the Celtics last week. The decision capped a five-year coaching stint during which Bickerstaff won about 52% of his games and one playoff series in two appearances. And the end of his tenure will likely color this fanbase’s perception of his success or failure, which I understand.*
*You want to call Bickerstaff’s 6-11 playoff record a disappointment following the Donovan Mitchell trade? I get it. Want to call general manager Koby Altman reasonable for wondering if another tactician could reach a higher ceiling with this roster? I agree. But calling Bickerstaff’s tenure anything short of a success would be discrediting the work he did during this franchise’s darkest days in recent history.*
*So instead of kicking a coach while he’s down, let’s shine a light on the highs he enjoyed, which add necessary context to Cleveland’s Bickerstaff era.*
*Bickerstaff earned this job 54 games into a nightmare season after John Beilein’s resignation in February of 2020. The Cavs owned the Eastern Conference’s worst record (14-40) and the* [*NBA’s worst vibe*](https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2020/01/kevin-love-i-will-be-happy-if-im-still-with-cleveland-cavaliers-beyond-trade-deadline.html) *just two years removed from their fourth consecutive Eastern Conference title. Cleveland’s young players (Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Kevin Porter Jr.) needed guidance as they learned the pro game, but its most seasoned veteran (Kevin Love) hated being stuck in a rebuild.*
*Welcome to your new job, coach. Care to tell us how you’ll fix this?*
Watkins’ complete thoughts can be read through the link in the OP. Let us know what you think.
DatGameGuy
Theres no doubt that it should be considered a success.
JB may not be the coach the team needs anymore, but during his tenure the team went from the bottom of the barrel to top 4 in their conference and consistently competitive. That goal posts for what is a successful season changes every year, but fundamentally the Cavs have done better than a lot of teams over the past 5 years.
SeedyRedwood
NO ONE IS SAYING HES A GODDAMN FAILURE. WE JUST WANT A BETTER COACH!
dylofpickle
JB saved us from the trainwreck that was Beilein’s tenure. He then surpassed what was asked of him and allowed us to set higher goals than we expected to.
Rkenne16
He did his job for sure. Thats why he got the extra year to make it work.
Master_Z
Only reason he was hired was his daddy, only reason he stayed for multiple years was his daddy.
Wasted our talents youth.
According_Till_281
JB is a solid coach. He was succesful in Cleveland, and this adversity for him could really help accelarate him into an even better head coach for his next job. Just like the players, he will learn and grow from this.
Sweatytubesock
He was fine. Just have to hope whoever is next can take the next step.
Ben-solo-11
It was absolutely a success. Basketball coaches generally have a shelf life. The message, the system, get “stale”. That isn’t to say JB didn’t move this team forward- and ahead of schedule.
JB did a good to great job with a young team. I respect the hell out of the work he did here.
9 Comments
[cleveland.com](http://cleveland.com) columnist Jimmy Watkins:
*The next Cavs coach will have an elite defense before he blows the whistle. He’ll inherit a core that won 99 games over its last two seasons. He’ll have three rounds of playoff film to build from, and he’ll have his predecessor to thank for all of it.*
*Cleveland fired former coach J.B. Bickerstaff Thursday after a five-game series loss to the Celtics last week. The decision capped a five-year coaching stint during which Bickerstaff won about 52% of his games and one playoff series in two appearances. And the end of his tenure will likely color this fanbase’s perception of his success or failure, which I understand.*
*You want to call Bickerstaff’s 6-11 playoff record a disappointment following the Donovan Mitchell trade? I get it. Want to call general manager Koby Altman reasonable for wondering if another tactician could reach a higher ceiling with this roster? I agree. But calling Bickerstaff’s tenure anything short of a success would be discrediting the work he did during this franchise’s darkest days in recent history.*
*So instead of kicking a coach while he’s down, let’s shine a light on the highs he enjoyed, which add necessary context to Cleveland’s Bickerstaff era.*
*Bickerstaff earned this job 54 games into a nightmare season after John Beilein’s resignation in February of 2020. The Cavs owned the Eastern Conference’s worst record (14-40) and the* [*NBA’s worst vibe*](https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2020/01/kevin-love-i-will-be-happy-if-im-still-with-cleveland-cavaliers-beyond-trade-deadline.html) *just two years removed from their fourth consecutive Eastern Conference title. Cleveland’s young players (Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Kevin Porter Jr.) needed guidance as they learned the pro game, but its most seasoned veteran (Kevin Love) hated being stuck in a rebuild.*
*Welcome to your new job, coach. Care to tell us how you’ll fix this?*
Watkins’ complete thoughts can be read through the link in the OP. Let us know what you think.
Theres no doubt that it should be considered a success.
JB may not be the coach the team needs anymore, but during his tenure the team went from the bottom of the barrel to top 4 in their conference and consistently competitive. That goal posts for what is a successful season changes every year, but fundamentally the Cavs have done better than a lot of teams over the past 5 years.
NO ONE IS SAYING HES A GODDAMN FAILURE. WE JUST WANT A BETTER COACH!
JB saved us from the trainwreck that was Beilein’s tenure. He then surpassed what was asked of him and allowed us to set higher goals than we expected to.
He did his job for sure. Thats why he got the extra year to make it work.
Only reason he was hired was his daddy, only reason he stayed for multiple years was his daddy.
Wasted our talents youth.
JB is a solid coach. He was succesful in Cleveland, and this adversity for him could really help accelarate him into an even better head coach for his next job. Just like the players, he will learn and grow from this.
He was fine. Just have to hope whoever is next can take the next step.
It was absolutely a success. Basketball coaches generally have a shelf life. The message, the system, get “stale”. That isn’t to say JB didn’t move this team forward- and ahead of schedule.
JB did a good to great job with a young team. I respect the hell out of the work he did here.