3. The job security of J.B. Bickerstaff
This was probably the least surprising part of the report. Rumors have been swirling for months now that Bickerstaff was on shaky ground as head coach, as a rough start to the season almost led to him getting fired. If the Cavs did not go on that 18-1 run, who knows if Bickerstaff would have overseen this postseason run.
However, the interesting part of the report was the fact that the players began to question Bickerstaff this season, Mitchell included.
"“Multiple veterans in the Cavs locker room grew frustrated with Bickerstaff… They were also less than enthused by the Cavs’ offense last spring and into the first part of this season. Mitchell was among them. Players would leave practices and morning shootarounds wondering aloud: “Why did we even do that? What did we accomplish” — so perplexed by the lack of structure and intensity in the workouts”.The Athletic
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If players are questioning the man in charge and do not believe in him or trust him, that is almost a death sentence in the NBA. Just ask Frank Vogel and what happened to him in Phoenix.
If practices are not structured and not intense, then how can you expect your team to go out and perform? A playoff team should not be dealing with this from their head coach.
The bottom line is that it is clear that the team needs a new voice that they can rely on and believe in. Bickerstaff did a fine job with the rebuild and getting the most out of this squad, but his time should be up. If his main issues are structure and respect from his players, then he cannot return as head coach.