Yahoo Finance Interim no more: Cavs reportedly sign head coach J.B. Bickerstaff to long-term deal
The Cleveland Cavaliers have removed the interim tag from head coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s title.
According to multiple reports, the Cavaliers and Bickerstaff have agreed to a long-term contract. ESPN reports that the deal is for four years through the 2023-24 season. Terms were not reported.
Bickerstaff took over the Cavaliers when they parted ways with first-year head coach John Beilein. Beilein left the team amid a tumultuous tenure that had players reportedly questioning the long-time college coach’s tactics at the NBA level and boiled over when he reportedly called players “thugs” in a film session.
Cavaliers playing better under Bickerstaff
The Cavaliers have responded relatively well under Bickerstaff’s leadership, going 5-5 in the 10 games he’s coached. The team started 14-40 before Bickerstaff took over.
Bickerstaff is an NBA coaching veteran, having worked as an assistant or associate head coach in the league since 2004 with the Charlotte Bobcats, Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies before arriving in Cleveland in 2019.
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