Former Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff admits his feelings toward facing former team

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Heading into this season, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons were closely linked to one another. It isn’t because they’re bitter Central Divisional rivals. Nor was it the fact that the Cavs own a double-digit winning streak against the Pistons. Instead, it’s because of the coaching situation.

Last year, Cleveland was led by Detroit’s current head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. Bickerstaff spearheaded a turnaround for the Cavs for nearly five seasons, helping guide the team to last year’s Eastern Conference Semifinals. After Cleveland was bounced by the eventual champion Boston Celtics, the Cavs elected to make a change, bringing in Kenny Atkinson to replace Bickerstaff.

Under Atkinson, the Cavs have maintained the NBA’s best record. Cleveland has taken what Bickerstaff worked for five years building and taken things to the next level. While the Pistons are having a great season under Bickerstaff, there must be some hard feelings from the former coach to his old team, right?

Well, not exactly. Bickerstaff’s only hard feelings towards the Cavs is the desire to beat them. Other than that, it’s all love.

“I don't think happiness gets clicks,” Bickerstaff said sarcastially pregame. “I think that's where we are. Everybody's looking for a story, but we don't have a story. We're here to play a game. We play 82 of them and our guys try to go out and give them the best they got every single night.

“I have great relationships with the guys over in that locker room. I have no hate towards them. I'm happy for them. We try to embrace people's successes. You think about it, there's 450 guys in the NBA. There's 30 head coaches in the NBA. If you're trying to find a way to bring negativity to people who have made it to that point and against those odds, then there's something wrong with you, not with the people that are involved in it.”

The Cavs, old and new, show mutual respect and appreciation for former head coach J.B. Bickerstaff

As mentioned earlier, Bickerstaff’s Pistons are currently balanced at a .500 record after struggling as one of the Eastern Conference’s weakest teams for several years. With a record of 23-23, Detroit has already secured more wins this season than in any other since 2018-19. They are ranked 13th in defensive rating, a significant improvement compared to their previous five-year high of 25th. The Pistons follow a familiar strategy under Bickerstaff, focusing on youth and athleticism to drive a strong, aggressive defensive approach.

“It's really hard,” Atkinson said. “Give (Bickerstaff) even more credit because that's the hardest thing to do. There's so many different coverages. You have to know the personnel. You have to be in step with schemes. Now, they also did a great job of drafting some good young defensive players, kind of like the Cavs did. (We have) Evan Mobley. They've got (Ausar) Thompson, who's already one of the best in the league.

“… There's a lot of things that go into it, but I just give J.B. a ton of credit. He's done a phenomenal job with that team.”

Atkinson went on to attribute that Bickerstaff built what he’s currently coaching. Cleveland’s players, meanwhile, also see what Bickerstaff is building in Detroit, which feels eerily similar to what they experienced. Cavs sharpshooter Max Strus joked that they recognized some of the Pistons’ plays and schemes as things they once utilized, making the Spider-Man Pointing Meme happen on the court.

“Kudos to him,” Cavs center Jarrett Allen said. “He really made the blueprint for this team. The defense was his idea or the whole collective coaching staff's idea. Offense, we changed that up, but he has a big imprint on who we are as a team right now.”

Although breakups are never easy, based on pure basketball reasons, what happened between the Cavs and Bickerstaff makes more sense with every game. Cleveland is thriving after what Bickerstaff built, and Detroit is finding similar success this season. There’s no beef, only mutual respect for what’s been and where things are headed next.

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