CLEVELAND, Ohio – Is J.B. Bickerstaff a good coach for the Cavs?
I’ve been insisting that from his early days in Cleveland. That’s when he took over for John Beilein during the 2020 All-Star break.
This is not a popular stance with many Cavs fans. The discontent began when the team failed to survive the 2022 play-in tournament. Then the Cavs were bounced out of the first round of the 2023 playoffs by New York.
The frustration is understandable.
The Cavs appeared to have the better team in both situations. And they not only lost in those two postseasons, they underachieved.
Most of the blame was placed on Bickerstaff, and some of it was deserved. That’s the setting as the Cavs open their best of seven first-round series against Orlando Saturday at 1 p.m. at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
WHAT ABOUT THE ROSTER?
That said, the roster in the 2023 playoffs was flawed. New York exposed the lack of outside shooting and an alarming lack of toughness on the boards when wiping out the Cavs in five games.
Rather than react to what happened in the New York series by firing Bickerstaff, Cavs president Koby Altman wisely took the long view.
He watched Bickerstaff take the Cavs from 22 to 44 to 51 victories in his first three full seasons. He saw the Cavs developing a defensive mindset.
He knew the roster needed more scoring.
It’s why he made the huge deal for Donovan Mitchell in the summer of 2022. The next summer, he followed that up with the acquisition of Max Strus and Georges Niang. Those two veterans should not only enhance the outside shooting but bring more grit and playoff experience.
Altman gave Bickerstaff time to grow with his young team. The Cavs finished this season with a 48-34 record. That’s respectable given the fact that three key starters missed a lot of games: Evan Mobley (32), Mitchell (27) and Darius Garland (25).
ARE THE CAVS TOO TALL?
Questions about the makeup of the roster remain. Some dwell on the Cavs having a pair of 7-footers in Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. Too many players who are too big playing at one time is the criticism.
That’s especially true in a league where the ideal player is an athlete in the 6-8 range. Or if you play a pair of 7-footers, one of them has to be able to consistently make shots from 3-point range.
That wasn’t Allen and Mobley. Notice the was, past tense. Mobley has improved his 3-pointy shooting from 23% in his first two seasons to 37% in 2023-24. Allen has emerged as an impact scorer at center.
The playoffs will be a test to see how it works with their two big men.
I have more concern about the Garland/Mitchell combination in the backcourt. Two small guards who like to dominate the ball. Let’s see how that works out in the postseason.
THE CHALLENGE FOR BICKERSTAFF
At some point, all NBA head coaches are judged by how they perform in the playoffs. Bickerstaff has twice been an “interim coach” during his stops in Houston and Memphis. That’s hardly a fair test.
He did make the playoffs once with the Rockets and they were eliminated in the first round in five games.
The Cavs are his first good chance to prove he can be a long-term head coach. He’s shown he can build a team and also keep control. In his tenure, the Cavs have been drama free – especially when compared to the rest of the diva driven NBA.
Backed by strong ownership and a savvy front office, the Cavs have become a very good regular-season team. The fans have embraced them.
The next step is the playoffs, winning at least a round. Two would be major progress. So much is on the line from Bickerstaff’s future to Mitchell’s decision about a contract extension to how fans view the team.
Pressure? Bickerstaff has to feel it. That’s part of the job. Now, we’ll see how he handles it.
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