Reaching the second round of the NBA playoffs wasn’t enough for J.B. Bickerstaff to keep his job.
The Cavaliers fired their head coach on Thursday morning. According to multiple reportsafter losing in five games to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
It’s the furthest the Cavaliers have advanced in the playoffs since being swept by the Warriors in the NBA Finals six years ago, in LeBron James’ final year with the team.
Cleveland was without Donovan Mitchell after the All-Star suffered a calf injury in Games 4 and 5 against Boston.
Former Nets head coach and current Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson, who coached current Cavaliers stars Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert in Brooklyn, is believed to be a candidate for the vacant job, according to multiple reports.
All eyes will be on how the coaching situation affects Mitchell’s future on a team with a talented but perhaps mismatched roster.
The 27-year-old can become a free agent after next season.
The Athletic reported that if Mitchell plans to stay in Cleveland long-term, fellow star guard Darius Garland could be a good option. He may consider forcing himself to a new team to find a bigger role.
Cleveland.com reported. Mitchell was “frustrated.” His teammates sometimes point out that he lacks concentration.
Mitchell seemed to deny any rift within the team over X.
“Sometimes you all piss me off,” Mitchell wrote, along with a cap emoji.
Allen is also reportedly on the trade market, which would give Evan Mobley even more room to play down the floor.
Bickerstaff took over in early 2020 after John Beilein resigned and signed a multi-year contract extension through December 2021.
The 45-year-old, who managed the Grizzlies from 2017 to 2019, has a 170-159 regular season record over four years as Cavs coach, including 143-103 over the past three seasons. is also included.
Cleveland (48-34) earned the No. 4 seed in the East this year and defeated the Magic in the first round for the first time in seven games.
