3 big questions for Cavs team after bad loss to the Pistons

#3: Are we giving Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff too much credit for the team’s success?

There’s a lot to coaching a basketball team. I’ve written several times before about my doubts on if Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff is the right guy for the squad.

Obviously, winning helps, and the team has been doing more of that this season than in the recent past, but I still have suggested I have my doubts on Bickerstaff’s knowledge when it comes to his bench and his rotation of players during games.

The game Sunday against the Pistons was just another reminder to fans who are trying to look at this team objectively that maybe we need to hold the celebration and “free pass” for Bickerstaff. His historic track record doesn’t say he’s an All-Star coach. He’s honestly just a very average to sub-average coach.

When he subbed Rajon Rondo in late into the game it was a terrible move because the team had nobody in the game who was a good outside shooter other than Darius Garland. Dean Wade was subbed out for Rondo. No, Wade isn’t a go-to scorer but he’s one of the best defenders on the team. The game is going down to the wire and you’re taking out defense.

There have been too many times, where given certain situations in games, Bickerstaff never seems to have a good “feel” for the game. Good coaches have a “feel” for the game and I’m still waiting to see that from Bickerstaff.

I give a lot of the credit to the Cavs players for playing together as a team and learning on the go. Yes, Bickerstaff should be given some credit for putting a unique starting five where the team is using a tall lineup of three big men including Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, and Lauri Markkanen (when he’s not injured). But I’d give even more credit to players like Kevin Love, who is probably having more influence on the players.

And where was Love in that fourth quarter? Why wasn’t he subbed in late? In many of these games, I’m scratching my head wondering what Bickerstaff is thinking?

Is he seeing the tendencies of the players? Is he trying to get a better “feel” for his team?

Most nights, I don’t think he is doing those things, and that’s worrisome.