Candidates for Cavs coaching job emerge after J.B. Bickerstaff firing

On Thursday morning, it was reported that the Cleveland Cavaliers parted ways with head coach J.B. Bickerstaff.

Already, candidates have started to emerge to fill the newly vacant position.

Bickerstaff no longer being the coach for the Cavs is big news for the team despite the fact that it was somewhat expected.  Following the Cavs’ exit from the 2024 NBA Playoffs, it appears as though the writing was on the wall for Bickerstaff.

Earlier this week, it was indicated that coaching candidates were already preparing for interviews with the Cavs amid Bickerstaff’s murky future with the team.

Now, that future is far less murky. The Cavs are seen as a team with a fair amount of young talent, but they have not quite lived up to the expectations thrust upon them.

That is true despite the fact that they managed to advance to the second round of the playoffs this season. Bickerstaff oversaw a lot of the Cavs’ growth over the last few years, but the franchise seemingly believes it needs a new skipper in charge to take that next step.

Bickerstaff joined the Cavs staff as an associate head coach in the 2019-20 NBA season. He was then thrust into the top spot after former Cavs head coach John Beilein resigned following a short and unsuccessful stint with the team.

The 45-year-old Bickerstaff earned some early praise for his work. Though his team went 22-50 in his first full season, that would prove to be the only time he led the team to a record under .500 across a full season.

In the 2021-22 campaign, the Cavs went 44-38 and advanced to the play-in tournament. Unfortunately, they lost in the tournament and failed to enter the playoff bracket.

In the following season, the Cavs went 51-31 and earned a spot in the playoffs. However, they were quickly bounced in the first round.

This season, they got out of the first round after an exciting series against the Orlando Magic. They then fell to the Boston Celtics quickly in the second round. However, crucial contributors missed some or all of the series due to injuries. It’s possible that Bickerstaff and the Cavs would still be in it had the roster managed to stay fully healthy.

That is something fans will never know, however, and it will now be someone else’s job to try to continue building upon what Bickerstaff helped build.