Despite their Game 2 win over the Boston Celtics, it hasn’t been a particularly smooth season for the Cleveland Cavaliers. In fact, according to league insider Joe Vardon, they almost canned their head coach in the ultimate panic move after a loss to the Trail Blazers back in November.
“A brutal home loss to lowly Portland on Nov. 30 was followed by a road game two nights later at Detroit, which was in the midst of a historic losing streak,” wrote Vardon. “Had the Cavs lost to the Pistons, multiple league sources say Bickerstaff may not have survived it. But Cleveland won that game and the two after it.”
Bickerstaff was originally brought on as an assistant for the Cavaliers after ending his coaching stint with the Houston Rockets. Eventually, he earned the head coaching role after a few years and he’s been at the helm ever since.
Under Bickerstaff, the Cavaliers have been a solid regular-season team. Since he took over in 2020, the Cavs have been pretty competitive in the East and were showing signs of gradual improvement. It wasn’t until the arrival of Donovan Mitchell that the timeline changed for the Cavaliers.
Suddenly, with a top-tier superstar at the helm, the Cavaliers were hoisted with heightened expectations and Bickerstaff was under more pressure than ever before to maximize his guys and lead the team to good results on the court. So when the Cavaliers were embarrassed in last year’s playoffs and struggled to start this season, it’s no surprise that the coach’s job was in jeopardy.
Fast forward to their win over the Celtics on Friday, however, and it’s wild to see how far things have shifted. If they can win this series and make franchise history, it could force the front office to put down any plans for a rebuild. But if they fail to win another game in the series, or somehow blow a big lead, J.B. Bickerstaff may not be the only one on his way out…
The Last Dance For Donovan Mitchell And The Cleveland Cavaliers?
At this point, nobody truly knows what the future has in store for the Cavs. With Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, they have a solid young core that they can build around for years.
But it’s Donovan Mitchell who makes them competitive right now and he’s the only reason they stand a chance against a team like the Celtics. In the regular season, Mitchell was great for the Cavs with averages of 26.6 points, 6.1 assists, and 5.1 rebounds per game on 46.2% shooting.
In the post-season, he’s carrying the team on his back to pull them as far as they can go. After much speculation about his unease with the Cavaliers, Donovan Mitchell could try and force his way out if they don’t make things interesting in the second round. And as a young sharpshooter with a star-studded resume, Mitchell would be a hot trade target for many teams across the league.
So, with so much at stake, the Cavaliers are fighting with everything they have and J.B. Bickerstaff is leaving nothing on the table as he tries to ensure his job security for multiple years to come.
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