Lakers News: How Cavaliers' Decision to Fire J.B. Bickerstaff Will Affect LA

Cleveland let him go after he helped resuscitate the program post-John Beilein disaster.

Apr 25, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers head coach JB Bickerstaff shouts during the second quarter of game three of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports / Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

After the Cleveland Cavaliers' failed John Beilein experiment tanked, the team brought in J.B. Bickerstaff to hopefully shepherd the franchise through its post-LeBron James wilderness. Bickerstaff helped turned young talents Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen into All-Stars, and with the advent of homegrown draft pick Evan Mobley and trade acquisition Donovan Mitchell, the team soon became a legitimate pseudo-threat in the Eastern Conference.

This year, a banged-up Cavs team made the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2018 (i.e. James' free agent departure for the Los Angeles Lakers), and was defeated in five games by the Boston Celtics.

Now, with Bickerstaff perhaps unfairly canned, several of the Lakers' head coaching candidates suddenly have another talented team as a possible destination.

Brian Windhorst of ESPN, speaking with Dan Patrick on his eponymous Peacock show, indicated that L.A. ownership and management's recent history of frugality with head coaching hires could cost it in negotiations for some of these top targets, which allegedly include ESPN personality JJ Redick, New Orleans Pelicans assistant coach James Borrego, Golden State Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson, Boston Celtics assistant coach Sam Cassell, and Miami Heat assistant coach Chris Quinn.

Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) says if JJ Redick gets hired as the #Lakers Head Coach, he doesn’t see it happening until after the Finals being that he’ll be a part of the broadcast team on ABC.

Windy also mentioned James Borrego as candidate for both the Cavs and Lakers gigs pic.twitter.com/CoTMbyIKW5

— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) May 24, 2024

"James Borrego is a very accomplished coach who — in my opinion — got a raw deal when he got fired in Charlotte, and is a strong candidate, especially for a team like Cleveland... and I think he's a strong candidate in L.A., because he's got a relationship with Anthony Davis. In theory yes they are competing a little bit for the same type of coach" Windhorst said. "The Cleveland situation is more tied to Donovan Mitchell than anything because this move was at least in part related to Donovan Mitchell and I think that'll make the Cavs more potentially aggressive and frankly, the Cavs have demonstrated a... willingness to spend than the Lakers. I don't know if that'll be a factor, I don't know if it'll come down to a coach deciding between the two, but the last time the Lakers were in a bidding war for head coaches, they lost them."

Would Bickerstaff himself be an option for Los Angeles, following a pretty good run with the Cavs that included a 51-win season in 2022-23? Time will tell.

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