J.B. Bickerstaff Reaches Career Coaching Milestone, Cavs News
It's not often that a coach leading a team through a rebuild gets to stay and see it through. That hasn't been the case for J.B. Bickerstaff as he took the Cleveland Cavaliers in the middle of the 2019-20 season and remains the team's sideline leader.
From there, Bickerstaff earned a contract extension through the 2026-27 season and was tasked with leading the wine-and-gold on a deep playoff run.
The Cavs came back from a double-digit lead against the Indiana Pacers on Monday evening and secured a 108-103 victory. Yes, the win could have playoff implications at the end of the season, but it was a big moment in J.B.'s coaching career.
Bickerstaff earned his 250th win as an NBA head coach which is also his 165 with the Cavaliers.
Feb 7, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff gestures against the Washington Wizards during the first half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
© Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
The first head coaching job that Bickerstaff had was with the Houston Rockets during the 2015-16 season. While the LeBron James-led Cavaliers went on to break a 52-year championship drought in the city of Cleveland, Bickerstaff helped coach the Rockets to a record of 37-34 with a playoff appearance.
Bickerstaff's next tenure as a head coach was with the Memphis Grizzlies from 2017-2019. In his season and a half with the job, J.B. had recorded 48 wins.
Bickersatff has been at the center of some criticism by fans over the last few seasons. However, it is also important to highlight moments such as these because it's not often in today's NBA that we see a head coach with the same organization for half a decade.
J.B. is one of the main reasons why Cleveland is one top teams in the Eastern Conference and he deserves to be recognized for his accomplishments.
