After the season the Cleveland Cavaliers went through finally ended, fallout was bound to follow. Anonymous sources, players, coaches, and personnel are happy to share what was wrong after everything happened. But, sometimes, players like Cavs veteran Marcus Morris Sr. are willing to be a bit more transparent and say what they feel needs to be said with their chest.
During an appearance on Run It Back, Morris was asked by Chandler Parsons if he saw any disconnect between then-Cleveland head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and the players after joining the team late in the season. Instead of brushing off Parsons' question, Morris provided some insight into the situation between Bickerstaff and the team.
“Honestly, yeah, I kind of seen it,” Morris said. “Sorry to say it. He's been around there for a while; sometimes, time is just a little bit too long. I think he had the locker room; I think his time just ran out. Good dude on and off the court.”
Marcus Morris Sr. drops a J.B. Bickerstaff bombshell
The Cavs signed Morris in March. He appeared in 12 regular-season games, averaging 5.8 points and 2.1 rebounds in 15.0 minutes per contest. He also averaged 6.1 points and 2.8 rebounds in nine postseason games with Cleveland. This also isn't the first time he has voiced his issues with Bickerstaff's game planning. All throughout Cleveland's playoff run, Morris had expressed frustration on multiple occasions over not getting consistent minutes in the playoffs.
“It was funny — the first four games, I was like, ‘Damn, am I even going to play in the playoffs?’” Morris said after Cleveland's Game 5 win over the Orlando Magic.
In that Game 5 win, Morris gave the Cavs a spark against a Magic team that was frustrating them all series long. Morris played 26 minutes off the bench, chipping in 12 points and 3 rebounds in his 70th career playoff game. But, despite him being a spark, Morris eventually saw his minutes in flux with Bickerstaff and the Cavs coaching staff trying everything to win their first-round series against the Magic and prepare for the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
But, to be fair to Morris, he wasn't the only player to seemingly voice his frustration about Bickerstaff's coaching, especially in the first round against the Magic.
“You could tell that (Magic coach) Jamahl Mosley did an excellent job planning for this game,” said big man Jarrett Allen after Game 3 in Orlando. “There’s times when I was just in the corner, I stood in the corner last game, but, just overall, you could see tiny differences that accumulate into a lot.
“We felt like we were a step behind every single thing that they did. Whether there was someone driving to the rim, me standing in the paint, or just rebounding the ball. We were just a little slow.”
Considering all that, especially with Morris saying that there was a disconnect between Bickerstaff and the Cavs, it might be best for Cleveland to move on.
Despite his on-court and tactical flaws, Bickerstaff was the coach who helped build and develop the team into what it is today. But the Cavs cannot afford to become complacent. They are far too talented to settle for haphazard playoff exits. If Bickerstaff had lost the locker room this season and the Cavs decided to bring him back next season, it could've spelled disaster. So, after what Morris shared, moving on seems like the correct decision.
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