Is J.B Bickerstaff’s coaching holding this Cavs team back?

J.B. Bickerstaff, Cleveland Cavaliers. (Photo by Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports)
J.B. Bickerstaff, Cleveland Cavaliers. (Photo by Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports)
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It’s a good thing that the Cleveland Cavaliers have surpassed their win total from a year ago. They are 45-28 and rolling into the postseason. Seemingly, from the outside, it certainly appears that the Wine and Gold are in good hands under the coaching of J.B. Bickerstaff. He should be credited with getting his squad to where they are now to some degree but giving him sole credit wouldn’t be completely true.

Adding an All-Star like Donovan Mitchell has certainly helped and the team in general has had a chance to gel even more this season. All this has led to a productive year. However, how far can this team go through the playoffs, and can Bickerstaff be that coach to get them there?

My colleague at King James Gospel, Josh Cornelissen, recently pointed out that several really good teams in the past, like the Golden State Warriors, fired their previous head coach Mark Jackson right before they were going to NBA Championships. Even though they were winning more with Jackson, he wasn’t going to take that group to titles. Enter Steve Kerr and the Warriors have gone on to win four titles since his arrival.

So, what might be some of the concerns with Bickerstaff and his coaching that would be reason to eventually fire him? Let’s look at some of these issues that seem to be front and center and could lead to that dismissal. While the wins are coming now, is Bickerstaff ultimately holding this Cavaliers team back from making that serious run at a championship?