The good news for Cleveland Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff is that his team won Game One of the opening playoff series against the Orlando Magic 97-83. His team played well on both ends of the court while leading from start to finish. Unfortunately, that type of game for the team hasn’t always been the case this season.
The Cavaliers struggled down the stretch of the regular season but managed to grab the Number Four seed in the Eastern Conference standings. This is the same seed they had a year ago when they went up against the upstart New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs. In that series, the Knicks won Game One and never looked back, beating the Cavs in five games.
With that series loss and the ups and downs of this season for Cleveland, their coach has been criticized even more, and there have been rumblings that Bickerstaff is on the hot seat. I believe like many others that the coach will have to win this opening-round series against the Magic to save his job. If he does get fired there are several candidates out there that would make for interesting replacements.
If Bickerstaff is removed in the offseason, three potential coaches might be worth consideration as his replacement moving forward. One is a very experienced and already an NBA Championship coach. Another has ties to Cleveland from his past, and the other is one of the hottest names in the media sports world these days.
No. 1 Cavs Coaching Candidate: Mike Budenholzer
Mike Budenholzer has already won an NBA title with the Milwaukee Bucks and historically has had a stellar coaching career and winning pedigree. He was a long-time assistant (17 seasons) under Greg Popovich in San Antonio before his recent head coaching fame. He first became a head coach with the Atlanta Hawks in 2013 and proceeded to take them to the playoffs for the next four seasons. He then moved to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2018 and guided them to five straight post-season appearances including that NBA Title in 2021.
There had been rumors of Budenholzer being in the running for the Brooklyn Nets job, but his money demands of $8 million a year contract are just too much for most teams. But would that be the case for the Cavs' rich owner Dan Gilbert? Likely not, and Cleveland should have Budenholzer on their radar if this current season comes to an abrupt end with a playoff series loss to Orlando.
With Bickerstaff, the Cavs have made the playoffs twice and should have made it three times if it weren’t for Bickerstaff’s poor coaching at the end of the 2022 season that left the team a game out of the playoffs. So, while the team has shown progress they haven’t been able to get any further than just a one-and-done playoff series appearance.
The biggest concern I have had with Bickerstaff is that he’s never shown as a coach that he can win constantly. When he was briefly coaching the Houston Rockets in his past he coached them in a first-round playoff series that they lost. He’s never gone further in the postseason and might not have the skill to take a team further.
Budenholzer's price tag is up there, but it is worth the cost for a team ready to compete in the Finals. Some NBA team is going to have Budenholzer as their next head coach, and if Cleveland wants to seriously contend for Championships, they should strongly consider this winning coach.
No. 2 Cavs Coaching Candidate: Stephen Silas
Silas is currently an assistant coach with the Detroit Pistons. He was the head coach before that with the Houston Rockets. While his years as a head coach have not registered many wins he still has many NBA elites, like San Antonio Spurs coach, Greg Popovich praising his coaching skill sets.
Silas is the son of Cavs former coach Paul Silas who helped get Lebron James' career off the ground when he started with the Cavs in 2003. The younger Silas was also an assistant coach back then with the team, so he knows Cleveland.
When Silas was coaching the Rockets, his teams were very young and inexperienced. If he came here to Cleveland he’d be taking over a much more experienced and veteran group of players. While his lack of success with the Rockets might worry some fans, his strengths as a coach in building trusting and productive relationships with the players would be ideal with the Cavs players.
While Cleveland players like Bickerstaff in a general sense, maybe a new voice in the locker room would be best for the organization if they want to go further and have a chance at a championship. Being stuck in Detroit with the Pistons isn't going to be good for Silas' coaching career long term. He was with the Cavs before, and the family name means something here in Cleveland. If the Cavs move on from Bickerstaff, it would be smart to consider Silas as their next head coach.
No. 3 Cavs Coaching Candidate: JJ Redick
The third candidate that the Cavs could consider is JJ Redick. He is the hottest name out there in the sports media world these days as he’s working for ESPN and will be part of the upcoming NBA Finals TV crew.
Redick was a former college basketball star at Duke and a good NBA player but has no coaching experience. Despite this, he has shared with the public that several teams like the Boston Celtics have offered him assistant coaching roles in the past.
While a jump to head coach could be looked at as extreme, maybe it’s exactly what we need in Cleveland these days to help its team get a boost and compete for championships in the future.
Redick is a very opinionated individual who has grabbed headlines, especially with the love he’s recently received from ESPN, and sometimes making controversial moves might be a tactic to try from time to time. The Cavs are at a stage in their development where they have a young core of stars that can win now. However, that window could already be closing, especially if they stick with Bickerstaff.
Going with Redick would be a risk because of the lack of coaching experience, but he was a well-respected player in his time. With his proven knowledge of basketball as a guard and leader in the modern NBA, the Cavs players would do well with a younger coach like Redick.
The Cleveland Cavaliers will likely hold onto Bickerstaff if their postseason run is a greater success than their failure last year, but his tenure could be coming to an end sooner rather than later. In that case, placing one of these three coaches could elevate Cleveland to the next level.