On Thursday, news broke that the Cleveland Cavaliers parted ways with J.B. Bickerstaff, and former NBA player Chandler Parsons was quite critical of the move. He even went so far as to blame Cavs star Donovan Mitchell for it.
"Donovan Mitchell you got what you wanted, so now all the pressure is on you…this is a bullshit firing." 👀@ChandlerParsons reacts to J. B. Bickerstaff being fired. pic.twitter.com/0U3xOiXXau
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) May 23, 2024
“I’ll tell you this,” he began. “Donovan Mitchell, you got what you wanted, so now all the pressure is on you. You wanted 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.”
Parsons went on to sing Bickerstaff’s praises, mentioning his success in the regular season over the past few years as well as his ability to craft a winning team this season despite being riddled by injuries.
“I love J.B.,” Parsons continued. “That’s my guy. I played for him. I know he’s awesome. I never had him as a head coach, but I just think this is a bulls— firing. I think he got the raw end.”
When it comes to Parsons and his read on the relationship between Mitchell and Bickerstaff, he seems to have it right. There have been multiple reports regarding the unhappy pairing between the star guard and his former head coach.
Furthermore, Mitchell’s chances of playing for Team USA in the upcoming Olympics might’ve been hurt by how Bickerstaff used him on the Cavs.
At the end of the day, what’s done is done. The Cavs are far from the first team in the NBA that has fired a head coach to seemingly appease a star player. The Cavs front office knew what it was doing when it traded for Mitchell, and making sacrifices is sometimes part of the deal when it comes to faces of the franchise.
Going forward, it will be interesting to see whether or not any reports come out regarding any type of Mitchell involvement in the coaching search. If it appears as though the franchise is looking for him to sign off before making a final decision, it would seem likely that it believes he intends to stay in Cleveland for the long term.
After an exciting, albeit frustrating, season for the Cavs, all eyes now turn to the summer. Some truly franchise-altering decisions seem to be on the horizon.
