Report: J.B. Bickerstaff holds lots of equity with Cavs, who won’t rush decision on his future

According to a league source, Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff is valued highly by the organization.

Furthermore, the Cavaliers reportedly “aren’t going to rush” their decision regarding whether or not Bickerstaff will be the team’s head coach next season.

“Bickerstaff has a lot of equity with the Cavs,” a top NBA source told Terry Pluto. “They aren’t going to rush this decision.”

Bickerstaff has served as the head coach of the Cavaliers for more than four seasons, and prior to his stint leading Cleveland, he was the head coach of the Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies for brief periods.

Ever since Cleveland’s 2023-24 season ended at the hands of the Boston Celtics, rumors have been swirling about Bickerstaff’s future. Donovan Mitchell and Bickerstaff reportedly have a “deteriorating” relationship.

Assistant coaches like Johnnie Bryant (New York Knicks), Alex Jensen (Dallas Mavericks) and Sam Cassell (Celtics) have all been mentioned as potential Bickerstaff replacements.

The Cavaliers have improved a whole lot under Bickerstaff since the early days of his time coaching the team. In his first full season as the head coach of Cleveland, the 2020-21 season, the team was one of the worst squads in the Eastern Conference.

Cleveland finished the truncated 72-game regular season with a record of 22-50, which was the third-worst record of any team in the conference, ahead of only the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons. But as a consolation prize for their woeful season, the Cavaliers ended up with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, which they used on big man Evan Mobley.

In each of Bickerstaff’s last three seasons with the team, Cleveland has finished with a record above the .500 mark.

The Cavaliers finished with a 44-38 record in the 2021-22 season, 51-31 record in the 2022-23 season and 48-34 record in the 2023-24 campaign.

In the 2024 NBA Playoffs, Bickerstaff also helped Cleveland win its first playoff series since LeBron James left the team back in 2018. The Cavaliers eliminated Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and the Orlando Magic in seven games in the opening round, and the home team won all seven games of the series.

Considering all of the success — particularly in the regular season — that the Cavaliers have experienced over the past few years, it’s easy to see why the team supposedly holds Bickerstaff in high regard and will take its time to make a decision on his future.