Donovan Mitchell breaks his silence on who really fired J.B. Bickerstaff and hired Kenny Atkinson

After the Cleveland Cavaliers were eliminated from the 2024 NBA Playoffs, the organization decided to part ways with J.B. Bickerstaff and search for a new head coach.

Weeks later, Cleveland hired Kenny Atkinson to fill the vacant role, taking him from his assistant role with the Golden State Warriors and turning him into the 24th head coach in Cavs history.

The team made the change during a very important offseason for star guard Donovan Mitchell, who was eligible for an extension that he ultimately did sign. Since his future was such a hot topic going into the offseason, there might have been some speculation that he was involved in the coaching change. He recently cleared the air on that.

“I wanted the organization to make that (coaching) decision,” Mitchell told The Athletic. “Obviously I know people probably think I f—ing did all of it, but at the end of the day, I trust in (Cavs general manager) Koby (Altman). I trust in the front office to be like, ‘All right, what’s the decision?’ And then you figure out what the future looks like.”

Mitchell did reportedly give the Cavs his blessing on the Atkinson hire.

Just about everything has gone right for the Cavs since they brought in Atkinson, who has helped the team win 17 of its first 19 games this season.

Cleveland, which started 15-0, did lose in its most recent game against the Atlanta Hawks, but all things considered, the team has to be thrilled with being 17-2 with more than one month of the season in the books. The Cavs have the best record in the NBA and hold a 1.5-game lead over the Boston Celtics atop the Eastern Conference standings.

Mitchell has had a major hand in Cleveland’s strong start. Across 18 appearances, he has averaged 24.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game on 46.6 percent shooting from the field and 40.0 percent shooting from long range.

Bickerstaff, for his part, landed on his feet, with the Detroit Pistons hiring him to be their new head coach after he was fired by the Cavs. Detroit has looked like an improved squad this season under its new skipper, with the team already having eight wins after winning just 14 games during the entire 2023-24 campaign.

Bickerstaff did a nice job of leading the Cavs through their rebuild, and he could be just what the Pistons need as they look to finally exit their own rebuilding era.