4 great coaches the Cavaliers could hire to replace Bickerstaff

The Cavaliers could hire Becky Hammon as their new head coach

This is the head coaching candidate on this list who could raise the most eyebrows, as the NBA has not yet had a female head coach in the history of the league. That is a “hurdle” that is much more built of theoretical issues than real ones. Excepting the fact that there hasn’t been one before, there is no substantive reason why a woman could not be the head coach of an NBA team.

With that out of the way, Becky Hammon has an incredible track record. A former WNBA star, Becky Hammon has spent years as an assistant coach, many of them under Gregg Popovich on the San Antonio Spurs. She developed under one of the greatest head coaches of all time, a “school” that has produced numerous coaches all across the league. She even served as the acting head coach in one game against the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.

Hammon then took a job last season as the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces and positively revolutionized their team. She introduced modern principles of shooting and pace that she brought over from the NBA and an analytical look at the game and saw instant success. She took a really good team and made them absolutely elite (sound familiar?), going 26-10 in the regular season and then 8-2 en route to winning the WNBA title.

The Cavaliers could absolutely benefit from her offensive acumen and her overall demeanor. She has been beloved by players and fellow coaches alike at every stop in her career, and she brings a lot of energy to the sideline. She has plenty of experience maximizing talented bigs, which would be a boon for Evan Mobley, but her work last season unlocking a whole new level for Kelsey Plum bodes well for the futures of Mitchell and Garland as well. Becky Hammon would make an excellent coach.