Pistons' J.B. Bickerstaff sounds off on going against former Cavs team

10/25/2024 07:31 PM

Breakups can be challenging, and it’s never easy when the split finally happens. Well, unless you’re former Cleveland Cavaliers and current Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. When the Cavs host the Pistons for their home opener, there aren’t a lot of emotions attached to it for Bickerstaff. To him, it’s just another basketball game and another day in the office. It’s just his Pistons taking on the Cavs.

“It’s part of what we do,” Bickerstaff said pre-game. “Obviously, coming in on a bus instead of driving in and small things like that make it different. But it’s a basketball game at the end of the day, and we’re here to try and go out and win.”

Bickerstaff joked that navigating the visitor’s side of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse shook up his Cleveland pre-game routine. But other than that, Bickerstaff is focused on how to gameplan against his former team. From the moment the Pistons arrived in Cleveland to the final buzzer, there will be no love from Bickerstaff and the Cavs on the court. Hopefully, there’s some love from Cleveland fans, at least. But Bickerstaff isn’t sure if that will happen either.

“Who knows,” said Bickerstaff, chuckling when asked about fan reception. “During my time here, I got mixed reception. So, I might get booed. I might get cheers. Who knows.”

Former Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff shows Cleveland love

For what it’s worth, Bickerstaff’s heart isn’t made of ice. When the game ends, he’ll focus on his team and not view the players and executives with whom he spent a half-decade as an opponent. It’s hard not to after spending that much time together. It showed when he discussed how he prepared the Pistons to take on his former team.

“They’re really good players,” Bickerstaff said. “Now, do they have weaknesses like all of them do? Yes, they do. But they’re so good at their strengths, and sometimes, it’s difficult to get them to play into their weaknesses because they’re versatile. Because they’re talented.

“You do have an inner knowledge that some people might not have because you’ve been around them so much. But they’re really good basketball players who have been surviving because teams have been trying to take away their strengths for a long time, and they’ve still been good enough to get it done.”

Bickerstaff went from a lead assistant to the Cavs’ helm 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 Cleveland something it didn’t initially have when things felt their lowest: hope and a way out.

J.B. Bickerstaff is leaning on his experience to re-tool the Pistons

After his time with the Cavs, Bickerstaff built a reputation for rebuilding organizations mired in losing. Cleveland big man Jarrett Allen credited Bickerstaff for pulling the Cavs out of a dark place. Bickerstaff is taking over a Pistons team that has collectively gone 93-290 in the last five years. Detroit hasn’t made the playoffs since the 2018-19 season. What the Pistons need is someone to build a culture and an identity. After what Bickerstaff accomplished in his time with Cleveland, he can make it happen again with Detroit.

“It’s similar just coming off of where we are and where we started, said Bickerstaff. “I think this group has a ton of talent. There are a ton of high draft picks here already, especially guys with high ceilings and high potential. So it’s our responsibility to do the best we can to help those guys get better.

“We added in some really good veterans. We also had some really good veterans here, like Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love, when we were here early. So there is a balance and a lot of similarities in the organizations at the time.”

Bickerstaff will have his work cut out for him with the Pistons. But for now, his focus is having his Pistons beat the Cavs. To Bickerstaff, it doesn’t matter that Cleveland is the former team. But a win might taste a bit sweeter after being let go by the Cavs last offseason.

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