After J.B. Bickerstaff was fired on Thursday, Kenny Atkinson, the assistant for the Golden State Warriors, is seen to be a strong contender for the Cleveland Cavaliers coaching position.
After the Cavaliers lost to the Boston Celtics in the second round of the playoffs, Bickerstaff was fired despite taking the team to consecutive postseason appearances—their first without LeBron James since 1998.
With J.B. Bickerstaff fired on Thursday, the Golden State Warriors can make history and improve their defense.
The Warriors might gain if they are interested in bringing Bickerstaff into Steve Kerr’s staff before the upcoming season, even though they might lose Atkinson as he looks for another head coaching position. The 45-year-old, who is well-known for his defensive acumen, guided Cleveland to the first, fifth, and seventh-ranked defenses in the previous three seasons.
Golden State has regressed on the defensive end of the court after finishing second during its 2022 championship season, finishing 14th and 15th the previous two seasons. A portion of that has been linked to Mike Brown’s departure, who left the Warriors after six years to take a head coaching position with the Sacramento Kings.
The Warriors would be making history if they acquired Bickerstaff; following Brown’s firing by the Cavaliers, they hired him as an assistant coach. After Brown’s first season with the team, in 2016–17, Golden State’s defense improved from sixth to second.
Although the Warriors still retain longtime assistant Ron Adams, they might be better off looking for Bickerstaff or former Phoenix Suns head coach Frank Vogel to strengthen their defensive identity.
Vogel’s one season with the Suns saw them rank 13th defensively, but in his three seasons—two of which featured an NBA championship—he led the Los Angeles Lakers to the top three defensive rankings.
The fates of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Jarrett Allen will also continue to be of concern while the Cavaliers search for a new head coach. The latter is someone the Warriors might be very interested in if Cleveland decides to split up his and Evan Mobley’s front court duo.
