JB Bickerstaff Articles - Page 5

Heading into their matchup with the Orlando Magic, there was legitimate concern about how the Cleveland Cavaliers would find an offensive rhythm. Before tipoff, the Magic had the league’s third-best defense, allowing only 109.3 points per 100 possession. While Orlando’s defense seemed impenetrable, it wasn’t invincible — the Magic struggle to contain opponents in transition, […]

Already a month into the 2023-24 NBA season and there are already awards to be handed out. For those who don’t know, the NBA names the top player in the Eastern and Western Conferences every week. Meanwhile, they also name the top player, rookie, and coach for the Eastern and Western Conferences toward the start […]

Heading into the final game of a five-game home stand against the Portland Trail Blazers, the Cleveland Cavaliers were flying high. They had two solid and decisive wins over the Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks and were starting to become a legitimate Eastern Conference Contender. But, like Icarus, the Cavs flew too close to the […]

The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking for answers after blowing a 16-point lead and falling to the Portland Trail Blazers 103-95 on Thursday night. Head coach JB Bickerstaff was reportedly frustrated and spent some extra time talking to his players about their failure to maintain leads, according to Evan Dammarell of Locked On Cavs: “Cavs head […]

The NBA In-Season Tournament has been a learning process for everyone, not just fans or media that cover the league. Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff shared on Tuesday before his team’s game against the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland’s final group stage opponent, that he’s loved learning the process and went as far to say that […]

The Cleveland Cavaliers took on the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday in a game that featured LeBron James’ new team against his old team. The Cavaliers honored LeBron James recently with a video on his return to ‘The Land.’ The Cavs got a full lineup back with the return of key players against Coach Darvin […]

The Miami Heat were dealt a brutal injury blow as backup point guard Dru Smith suffered a season-ending knee injury on Wednesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Smith has been one of the team’s main options behind the aging Kyle Lowry and now, their depth is taking a hit. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said that the Cavs’ court is […]

The Brooklyn Nets took on the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Barclays Center in an Opening Night matchup between two talented and athletic young teams. Cam Thomas stole the show, and made NBA history in a losing effort. Thomas finished last season outside of the Nets’ playoff rotation, but had fans going crazy with his first […]

Count JB Bickerstaff among those who still believe in Ben Simmons. Before his team’s season-opening matchup with the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers coach defended Simmons against the widespread criticism he’s faced since ever since his infamous bungle with the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2021 playoffs. “He’s a unique talent. I think […]

Before kicking off the 2023-24 NBA season, the Cleveland Cavaliers added a new face to their coaching staff. Sources confirm to ClutchPoints that the Cavs have added former Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings head coach Dave Joerger to their staff as a coaching consultant. The Athletic‘s Shams Charania initially reported the news. Like Luke Walton, Joerger […]

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been synonymous with Donovan Mitchell’s name mixed with other talented big men in Evan Mobley and Jarett Allen. They had lost early to a New York Knicks team filled with experience. But, that was not the only reason they were knocked out of title contention. JB Bickerstaff’s offensive sequences are often […]

Even though Ricky Rubio remains away from basketball to address his mental health, the Cleveland Cavaliers still need a backup point guard. As talented as Darius Garland is, there will be moments when he needs a reprieve from the court. There will also be times when the Cavs don’t have Garland, whether it’s due to […]

The Cleveland Cavaliers are gearing up for a more dynamic offensive approach, orchestrated by their head coach, JB Bickerstaff. In a recent Q&A session, Bickerstaff shared the team’s top five goals for the 2023-24 season. This signifies a bold and exciting direction after a promising 2022-23 campaign. Following a period of introspection, the Cavs have […]

Dillon Brooks isn’t exactly the most well-liked player in the NBA right now. In fact, one could even go as far as saying that there’s currently no outpouring of overwhelming loved for him from Memphis Grizzlies fans at the moment. It’s not that most Grizzlies supporters want him off the team, but at the same […]

Breakups, regardless of the walk of life, are never easy. So when Kevin Love requested a buyout from his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers, it would be logical to think players and coaches on the team felt blindsided by the news. The Cavaliers honored Love’s request, and the Miami Heat became the team to sign […]

The Boston Celtics saw their 2018-19 season come to an unfortunate end, as they were defeated by the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Despite that fact, Celtics playcaller Brad Stevens is still looking for ways to bolster his coaching staff. In fact, Stevens held an interview with former Grizzlies head coach J.B. Bickerstaff […]

The Los Angeles Lakers and Luke Walton decided to part ways shortly after the 2018-19 regular season, leaving the team in search of a new head coach. There have been several candidates listed for the job in recent days, and now former Memphis Grizzlies head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has been added to the discussion. According […]

The Memphis Grizzlies have fired head coach J.B. Bickerstaff after he had exit meetings with the players. The Athletic and Stadium senior NBA lead writer Shams Charania broke the news on Twitter on April 11. Sources: J.B. Bickerstaff conducted exit meetings with Grizzlies players today, discussing ways to improve the team and summer expectations — […]

The Memphis Grizzlies have fired head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and reassigned general manager Chris Wallace to a scouting role, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The Grizzlies went 33-49 this season. Bickerstaff took over for David Fizdale last season after Memphis fired Fizdale. Bickerstaff went 48-97 with the Grizzlies: Sources: The Memphis […]

Memphis Grizzlies head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who was an assistant for the Houston Rockets from 2011 to 2015, believes that James Harden can absolutely do anything on offense. Prior to being the Grizzlies head coach, Bickerstaff spent some time with the Rockets’ coaching staff and even became the team’s interim coach back in the 2015-16 […]

The Memphis Grizzlies were flat out dominated by the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff did not mince words when it came to his team’s performance. Memphis simply could not get anything going in the 132-111 loss in Atlanta. Bickerstaff was critical of his team’s effort afterward, via Michael Wallace of the […]

Memphis Grizzlies head coach J.B. Bickerstaff had a strong response to the team deciding to trade Marc Gasol to the Toronto Raptors. While speculation had centered around Marc Gasol possibly being dealt to the Charlotte Hornets, it was the Raptors that swooped in and landed the Grizzlies veteran in hopes of taking another step forward […]

Despite Jaren Jackson Jr.’s obvious talent, Memphis Grizzlies head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has opted to limit his minutes. But it’s all for a reasonable cause. Per Omari Sankofa II of The Athletic, Bickerstaff shared that he holds Jackson — the fourth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft — to a very high standard. He believes […]

NBA fans were dealt some sad news on Wednesday when news broke that Memphis Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks would be out for the season due to a toe injury. When Grizzlies head coach J.B. Bickerstaff was questioned by reporters on the injury, he was upset the information had even gotten out. As reporters pressed Bickerstaff […]

The Memphis Grizzlies got off to a surprisingly impressive start this season, but they have been free-falling of late, and Wednesday night’s loss against the Detroit Pistons was the latest example of that. After the loss, Grizzlies coach J.B. Bickerstaff was 30 minutes late to his postgame press conference, signifying that there was a quite […]

The Memphis Grizzlies blew a 19-point lead at home against the Boston Celtics on Saturday night, falling by a score of 112-103. Afterward, Grizzlies head coach J.B. Bickerstaff was not happy with the officiating, particularly when it came to point guard Mike Conley. Late in the game with Memphis down one with about two-and-a-half-minutes left, […]

Memphis Grizzlies head coach J.B. Bickerstaff is excited about the possibility of putting two Defensive Player of the Year awardees together on the same court. With the team’s recent acquisition of Joakim Noah, Bickerstaff has shored up his frontline defense that’s led by All-Star center Marc Gasol. Omari Sankofa II of The Athletic wrote about […]

While major sports leagues in America have been battling social injustice and inequality until now, Memphis Grizzlies coach J.B. Bickerstaff believes the NBA has growingly embraced diversity. Bickerstaff hinted at how the league has provided equal opportunities for coaches like him to make a difference. Bickerstaff shared his thoughts on the matter to Brian Mahoney of […]

Memphis Grizzlies head coach J.B. Bickerstaff is confident that starting point guard Mike Conley will be ready to join his teammates for training camp after suffering a season-ending injury last season, according to Mark Giannotto of The Commercial Appeal. “There’s no doubt about it,” said Bickerstaff. “Mike’s been playing pick up, those types of things. […]

The Memphis Grizzlies are not the Grit N’ Grind version of yesteryear, but still plan to keep a part of that tough-minded identity moving forward after signing forward Kyle Anderson. The team; which finished with a 22-60 record last season, good for second-worst in the league, will model the team after Anderson’s best skills — […]

The 2018-19 season is already promising for the Memphis Grizzlies, and we are still a long ways away from the start of it. Last season Marc Gasol and David Fizdale got into it, and upper management was forced to make a decision on keeping one of them, so they decided to fire Fizdale. Gasol told The […]

J.B. Bickerstaff and the Memphis Grizzlies have finally sealed the deal. Bickerstaff has agreed to a three-year pact with the Grizzlies as head coach. The news was confirmed by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN: JB Bickerstaff has agreed to a three-year contract to become the Memphis Grizzlies’ head coach, league sources tell ESPN. Bickerstaff was Memphis’ […]

The Memphis Grizzlies are finishing the framework to make J.B. Bickerstaff their head coach for the next few seasons, according to Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports. Bickerstaff had been the interim coach of the team for the vast majority of the season after former head coach David Fizdale was fired by the franchise, following an […]

The Memphis Grizzlies have been through an onslaught of losses in a race for futility, losing 23 of the last 24 games since Jan. 31. Despite sporting the second-worst record in the league with no signs of slowing down, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has vowed this team won’t let go of the rope, even if […]

The Memphis Grizzlies ran into a buzzsaw of a team in the Charlotte Hornets, suffering a monumental loss that will go down on the books as the worst and best of each franchise, respectively. The Hornets’ 140-79 victory is the first win for any NBA team of 60 points or greater since 1998 and only the sixth […]

Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley may have already been ruled out for the remainder of the season, but he continues to be around the team, and working his way to recover completely from his injury. Seeing his teammates practice and compete during games has also made him want to play again soon, especially with […]

The frustration in Memphis has grown to sky-high levels, with veterans like Marc Gasol growing more and more irritated, especially after taking a 110-102 loss to the struggling Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night. Grizzlies coach J.B. Bickerstaff has seen his star center become flustered with this losing season, but noted he’s done the most to […]

At first glance of the final score in the game between the Memphis Grizzlies and Detroit Pistons on Thursday, it can easily be thought of as a highly competitive matchup with stats almost the same for both teams. However, that wasn’t exactly the case as there was a huge disparity in free throw attempts as […]

Memphis Grizzlies guard Tyreke Evans has been one of the more surprising success stories of the season. The 28-year-old is having his best statistical season since his rookie year, as he’s averaging 19.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.6 assists. Evans was brought in to be a sixth man in Memphis, but he’s now started almost […]