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The Cleveland Cavaliers are about to have an emotional home opener. Sure, Cleveland fans will be excited to see the Cavs start the year 2-0. However, this game marks the first time that former head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, current head coach of the Detroit Pistons, will make his return to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. He coached Cleveland for five seasons, guiding the Cavs to a 170-159 record in that stretch and two playoff appearances. Bickerstaff was let go by the Cavs and replaced by Kenny Atkinson after the organization believed they needed a fresh perspective as head coach. While fans might be focused on the future of Cleveland basketball, Cavs big man Jarrett Allen also wants everyone to remember Bickerstaff's legacy.
“I hope there's a lot of cheers for him,” Allen said Friday morning after the team's morning shootaround. “The Cavs, I'm going to say it, they were in a dark place before he came. They were trying to figure out what type of team they're going to be, what type of organization, and he came in and flipped the script. We won 51 wins, 49 wins with him. He brought this organization very far, so I hope the fans cheer for him.”
Allen's assessment of Bickerstaff's time with Cleveland is spot on. Although Bickerstaff was drawing jeers toward the end of his time in Cleveland, fans should get plenty of cheers on his return. Bickerstaff went from a lead assistant to the helm of the Cavs during the 2019-20 season. He took over amid John Beilein's disastrous tenure as head coach, which ended with a resignation. The Cavs went 19-46 in 2019-20 and 5 -6 under Bickerstaff. However, despite the losing record, Bickerstaff gave something Cleveland didn't initially have when things felt their lowest: hope and a way out.
Is there bad blood between the Cavs and J.B. Bickerstaff?
From there, the Cavs made significant progress with Bickerstaff in charge for the next four seasons. Bickerstaff's first season at the helm saw Cleveland go 22-50. Sure, that record alone may not inspire much optimism. But as Allen said, the Cavs were exiting a dark place and building towards something special. Soon after, things kicked into high gear.
Cleveland drafted Evan Mobley, and the Cavs became the NBA's top defensive team under Bickerstaff. Then Cleveland acquired Donovan Mitchell in a blockbuster trade, raising expectations for the Cavs to become contenders. However, whether it was injuries or uninspired offense, things started to grind to a halt under Bickerstaff during postseason action. In Cleveland's latest run, Allen suffered a fractured rib in late April during Round 1 of the playoffs against the Orlando Magic. He missed the Cavs' final eight postseason games, including the entire Eastern Conference semifinals against the Celtics.
While Allen's injury wasn't Bickerstaff's fault, the Cavs' inability to adapt without a critical player likely contributed to his dismissal from Cleveland. But during a guest appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio in June, Bickerstaff praised Luka Doncic for “taking shots in his ribs so that he could go out and play” in the NBA Finals. Bickerstaff added Doncic “was playing through pain, he wasn't complaining, he was still playing 40-plus minutes trying to go out and get it done.”
Former Cavs coach J. B. Bickerstaff admired how Luka fought thru pain to play in NBA Finals, more specifically that he took “shots in his ribs” to play.
Audio from @Scalabrine and @TheFrankIsola pic.twitter.com/RA9DPDiG3z
— Anthony Lima (@SportsBoyTony) June 18, 2024
Some fans and media members perceived the comments as the former Cleveland coach criticizing Allen. The remarks also came after former Cavs forward Marcus Morris, a longtime Bickerstaff favorite, said in May on the FanDuel NBA show “Run it Back” that he would have played through the same injury Allen had. When asked about Bickerstaff's comments, Allen thought it was a shot at him. However, instead of holding it against his former coach, Allen let it roll off his back.
“Perception is everything,” Allen said. “I know J.B., and I know how he thinks. It probably was [a shot at me]. But everybody's frustrated. Everybody thinks one thing could have made them go further [in the playoffs]. I don't think it dampens relationships too much.”
Allen, 26, said he has never talked to Bickerstaff about the topic. Instead, when he saw Bickerstaff when the Cavs faced the Pistons during preseason action, he hugged him and asked him about his family. But now that this game against the Pistons counts, Allen is locked in, so he won't be as quick to show his former mentor love.
“It's a little extra oomph for us to play against him,” Allen said. “I mean, the only reason you get rid of a coach is if you think you can improve. That's the reality of the situation, so it's like we want to show how much we can go far and how much we can improve, and I hope it's an oomph for him as well. He's playing us. It's a new team. Show what you got.”
