Many supporters of Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff point to the success of the team over the past two seasons and like to nullify any other idea that maybe the coach’s flaws have already led to losses that shouldn’t have occurred. They also don’t want to consider the idea that just maybe Bickerstaff’s mistakes have been a bigger part of the reason this team, again in the stretch run for the playoffs, is playing very erratically and with little consistency.
I’ve seen numerous Cavs fans comment on various social media platforms that it’s too bad that not all the players on the Wine and Gold, especially their starters like Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley haven’t been able to all come together as one and put together more team efforts and get more wins.
I’d like to remind everyone at this crucial moment, that part of that lack of putting together a more team effort falls on the shoulders of the head coach. This is what these high profile and well-paid NBA coaches get hired to do.
A year ago, this same group of Cavaliers players and coaches started their downward spiral and were eliminated from playoff contention after having a very similar record. If you’re a fan of the Wine and Gold today, you may be getting that same gut-wrenching feeling that the same thing may happen again. The one thing though that is very different with this team is they have Donovan Mitchell, who they acquired in a trade this past offseason. Because of this player and his cast of stars like Mobley and Garland this team should get into the playoffs.
The bigger concern though in all of this is the head coach. He is the common denominator from last year’s team and now that has had the biggest impact on how this team is playing. The players are obviously responsible for playing the game well but the head coach is also responsible in trying to get better in his decision-making and making the team run more smoothly.
With those things in mind, there are two key areas of concern Cavs fans should be worried about when it comes to the team’s outlook with Bickerstaff at the helm, of which we’ll detail here.