(Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
The Cleveland Cavaliers fired head coach J.B. Bickerstaff on Thursday morning and now fans are gaining insight into why he was let go.
Speaking on ESPN Cleveland, NBA insider Brian Windhorst spoke about why Bickerstaff was fired.
He said that the team’s front office determined that “keeping J.B. would not have been an asset in re-signing Donovan Mitchell.”
He didn’t get into much more detail after that but it’s clear that the Cavaliers felt firing Bickerstaff would help them keep Mitchell.
“The Cavs in their analysis here felt that keeping JB would not have been an asset in re-signing Donovan Mitchell,” – @WindhorstESPN on how Mitchell fit into this coaching move. pic.twitter.com/EXI98WFIse
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) May 23, 2024
Retaining Mitchell has been Cleveland’s main goal all year long.
Therefore, it is not surprising to hear that they chose to let Bickerstaff go to keep Mitchell and sign him to a new contract extension.
Windhorst added that Mitchell wants nothing to do with the search for a new head coach so that job will only belong to the front office.
But whoever gets hired and takes Bickerstaff’s place will need a plan to get the most out of Mitchell.
This new hiring will be a chance for the Cavaliers to better use the roster, including the team’s biggest star.
Now that Bickerstaff is fired, what other changes are coming to Cleveland?
Will players be dealt away soon and will fans hear any definitive update on Mitchell?
Things are already changing for the Cavaliers but there is no doubt that more changes are coming.
Under the leadership of Bickerstaff, the Cavaliers climbed higher in the standings and had an impressive regular season.
But it just wasn’t enough and the front office felt that the only way to truly capitalize on Mitchell and the rest of the team was to let Bickerstaff go.
The post Brian Windhorst Reveals Why The Cavs Fired J.B. Bickerstaff appeared first on The Cold Wire.