NBA insider reports on JB Bickerstaff’s future with Cavaliers hint at the outcome

The Boston Celtics bounced the Cleveland Cavaliers from the NBA Playoffs on Wednesday night. The series ended 4-1, a far less competitive showing than the Cavs hoped to see after stealing Game 2 on the road.

As the clock ticked down on the 113-98 defeat, "fire JB" trended on Twitter.

It's not just Cavaliers fans pondering the future of their head coach. The front office is going to "take time to evaluate coach JB Bickerstaff's future," according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Shams Charania of The Athletic echoed that sentiment, reporting that "Bickerstaff's job is in serious jeopardy."

But both reports also came with a caveat: Bickerstaff has friends in the organization and they won't make the decision to fire him lightly.

The "organization remains fond of him and marketplace is sparse of proven candidates," Woj tweeted.

"Bickerstaff, despite all the pressure he and members of the organization above and below him were under this season, has built equity with the front office and was at the helm for Cleveland’s first appearance in a conference semifinal since 2018," Shams wrote.

Insider briefings on JB Bickerstaff's future gave all the reasons for Cavaliers not to fire him

Any outcome is possible here. The Cavaliers could sit down and examine their options and decide that firing Bickerstaff is the right move. Donovan Mitchell's apparent skepticism of the head coach is the biggest reason to ditch him. Re-signing Mitchell is more important than keeping Bickerstaff.

Having said that, a bit of media savvy points to what feels right now like the likeliest outcome. Woj and Shams were briefed by sources and both indicated that the Cavaliers aren't necessarily eager to fire Bickerstaff. They like him and there isn't an obvious upgrade out there.

Moreover, injuries has as much to do with this year's playoff exit as his coaching.

Bickerstaff's future is still murky, but a firing sounds far from a done deal.