BREAKING NEWS: The Cleveland Cavaliers have dismissed head coach J.B. Bickerstaff | FIRST TAKE

BREAKING NEWS: The Cleveland Cavaliers have dismissed head coach J.B. Bickerstaff | FIRST TAKE

uh not that long ago what’s going on JB Bickerstaff is out as head coach in Cleveland and sources tell me Kenny ainson and James brao are among the leading candidates to replace uh biger staff as head coach of the Cavaliers and and whoever takes over as coach this is a Cavs team that is hopeful to resign Donan Mitchell to a long-term extension there is a lot of optimism around the Cavs that they’re going to get a commitment from Donovan Mitchell on a 4-year $28 million extension this off season but in the meantime now they embark on a coaching search and you have to give JB Bersa a lot of credit when he took over Midway through that uh 2019 2020 season he took over for John beine and and that Cavs team was in disarray and he goes 170 and 159 in almost five seasons there they have two postseason runs back-to-back Seasons making to the playoffs they get home court advantage both times get by the first round this year lose in the in the semi-finals to the Boston Celtics who obviously are the prohibitive favorite out of the East so uh this is the Cavs team under Don Mitchell that has Championship expert expectations and they put themselves in that position and JB bicker staff today paid the price I’ll tell you this Donan Mitchell you got what you wanted so now all the pressure is on you and you want your head coach out he’s out you want Darius Garland to get moved they’re probably going to do that too for you so now there’s no more excuse for him at this point of his career but when you look at Cleveland last two years Boston Denver Milwaukee and Philly are the only team teams with more wins than Cleveland wow and in those two years only the kevs Boston Denver and Milwaukee had top four seeds in both years so when you what was his record 170 and 159 and you fire the head coach so obviously this is something personal wise this where they just bued heads they didn’t get along but as a head coach you can’t ask for a guy to do a better job with the situation had with all the injuries they went through this year I think their projected starting lineup this year played 28 games together right so it’s I I I I love JB it’s my guy played for him I know he’s awesome I never had him as a head coach but I just think this is a firing I think you got the raw end can I ask a process question so you make this move right and you mentioned the fact that probably going to move Darius Garland do you have confirmation that Donovan Mitchell staying before you make these moves are you making these moves hoping I think they go to exit they go to exit interviews and Don Mitchell says listen I I will sign an extension if you fire JB bicker staff or I if you make moves I think that’s it’s cut throat it’s if that’s the proper steps if he was talking about he was to trade last year he doesn’t want to trade now the head coach is gone can you imagine if he leaves now after finding that coach can rehire JB can they rehire JB if he doesn’t sign the extension you know what though we’ve been talking about this for two months I don’t think they needed the exit meeting to kind of have that conversation mean but my whole thing is too so they face Boston in the second round right what what if they beat Boston got signed jbn extension or no because Donovan Mitchell doesn’t like him so that was it was a death sentence regardless going in that series no damn well not going to be Boston I just want to know what the standard is these days to keep your job maybe you we’re seeing coaches that that are are having success with teams that are building and and moving organizations in the right direction that’s getting fired coaches of the year have been fired JB bigger staff included man it’s it’s a lot of quality coach JB bigger staff is a quality coach so the fact that he doesn’t have an opportunity to kind of see this thing through is disappointing I I I just want to know what the standard is these days you know who I like for this job this is a J reic type job a a younger team but with Talent more so than the Lakers but they’re but they’re showing you they’re ready to go right now I’m just saying at least they’re young it’s not the Lakers not this vet team like Mo’s young Garland’s young Donan Mitchell’s young they have these young and apparently there’s beef with Evan Moy and Jared Allen there’s beef with so they nobody beefs with Jared Allen right so that’s how you know there’s issues so they listen they have a lot of clearly internal issues going on and I think JB is just clearly the first one to go but I expect a lot of action with this organization now Dan Gilbert wants to be more involved he’s saying like so who another process question like if this okay so you move a coach if Donovan didn’t want him there now you mention bgo and Atkinson do you have to clear that with Donovan now or you just going to do the same thing over and over again yeah if he’s got like when I was in Houston James Harden he he he Daryl Mo would call him he would say yes or no and lie to him he would yeah like he that was so I’m assuming it’s the same situation here with Donovan Mitchell where yeah I think whoever not necessarily fully whoever he wants but if he’s like yeah I like BGA more than Atkinson then I think they’ll go with him if it’s the other way I think though I think he definitely has that kind of power that kind of clout within this organization for sure they just fir their head coach after that winning percentage and what they’ve done and he doesn’t have an extension yet it’s a cold world for coaching for Co and Alice just hired another guy that’s already been fired somewhere else that failed like like but bgo they’ll be the answer you wanted Lakers to get bgo that he goes here then who gets the Lakers JB bicker sta I just this just fun Bernie bicker staff used to be at the Lake Show why not keep it what a time I just think it’s I think it’s horrible I I hope JB starts doing TV because coaching is assessible and I think it just we talked about it when the Cavs lost to Boston there were a lot of issues in Cleveland and a lot of it was centered around the players and JB JB bers was almost fired earlier in the season this team went on a skid he survives and then they go on this surge in the second half of the season and it looked like maybe they may might make a run but clearly Don Mitchell wasn’t right he sits out the final couple games that Celtic series uh in this Cav seam it really starts this is an organization right now that’s trying to match the demeanor and the expectations of its best player and that best player is Donan Mitchell he has Championship as aspirations for this team and now if you’re an organization you make it pass the first round for the first time without LeBron James since was it 1993 and you’re the decision you make is is you fire your coach uh that that’s that’s but now I look at this job this is a good job though because they have the court they have pieces to compete right away so whoever gets this job they are inheriting a really good team that’s been built the last couple years it is uh I don’t know how you’d ever want to be a coach to grow in uh in all aspects of life you know they were a family orientated team um you know Championship goals nothing but nothing less than that and then also a chance to play I wanted to show how that you know I didn’t get a chance to do with the Lakers but you know show in the playoffs that I can play and um you know John is a great great GM he brought me in and you know we we both felt like we could help the team and and do what was needed to be done we talked about uh we talked about Giannis you also got an opportunity to play with Dame this year him being such a dynamic guard how did how did he make your game better just playing alongside of him well I told everybody soon as he came in we had this thing this record uh this shooting drill you got to uh shoot 100 threes and the man came in knocked down like 94 and I had just I literally the day before just got 92 it was the high and the man came in got 94 straight off a plane I was like damn okay I see what’s going on we I’m might have to work with this dude uh so um and then uh me and his trainer got cool so we going work this summer and uh I’m going go out to Portland soon and just kick it with my boy and we built a great relationship and uh he’s helped me a lot you know on on and off the court is it true that in the locker room he’ll put on his his own music and perform for y’all no I wish I wish would it be weird I mean does he play his music at all uh sometimes he plays it but most of the time it’s us playing it in the locker room um he he try I tell him to Freestyle for me every now and again uh but he he uh I got to see him in studio on live action man see what you talking about Lou I got to see what you talking about definitely Malik you also were in the Three-Point Contest with him this year what was that whole experience like with Dame just the whole weekend is it more of a drag is it fun what were your thoughts of it right [Music] e for spe [Music] fore for spee wow better do M on [Music] [Music] you foreign for [Music] why what [Music] do yeah [Music] I [Music] don’t [Music] the window you boy B CHS up [Music] has been defeated an enemy has been defeated enemy double kill for

BREAKING NEWS: The Cleveland Cavaliers have dismissed head coach J.B. Bickerstaff | FIRST TAKE