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When JB Bickerstaff sat down on the Cleveland Clinic court Wednesday to check availability after practice, he had a message to share.
He’s heard some outside criticism for his Cavaliers after a tough January 8-8 month, but he didn’t have a losing month this season.
“I think in all the noise and chatter, people forget how much this group has accomplished,” said Bickerstaff. “We are still the #1 defense in the NBA. We have the second-best net rating in the NBA. The team in front of us is one that has weathered and experienced what built it.
“I think sometimes people want to skip steps to get where we want to go. is well above the norm. I think they need to know it and they need to appreciate it.”
Less than 24 hours later, the Cavaliers were just behind the Miami Heat. In a playoff-like atmosphere, Cleveland struggled to match Miami’s physicality, lacked spacing, and an end-of-game run ultimately proved too costly. An important learning point, one Bicker staffer was also responsible.
“As coaches, we understand that and it’s all our responsibility,” Bickerstaff said. “This is not just about them. increase.”
Wednesday’s practice further strengthened areas for improvement. The Cavaliers focused on details such as how players open up, how they catch the ball, and where they want to catch the ball in those situations. I admit that it’s hard to reproduce in my environment. But they know how to play the game and they know it’s going to be a lot of close matches, so they need to figure out what they want to do in those situations.
“Building a team is not easy,” continued Bickerstaff. I need some collisions. I get bruises. Some failures are required. You learn from your biggest mistakes. If you make a mistake while running, that’s how you fix it. Because now you know how to move forward and how to improve.
“I don’t like the negative things that surround the group, as if something bad is going on. There are too many positive things that this team has achieved and no negative things are allowed around the group.” Personally, I have a career, I have achieved a lot in a short time, but building a team is not easy.”
The Cavs also had a conversation about where they are at practice Wednesday.The Cavs are fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 31-22 record in 53 games. 21-6 in home games, 10-16 in road games. They have the best ERA in the league at 109.6. He has a net his rating of 5.7 which is the second best in the NBA. Attack power is 114.2, which is 11th in the league.
The top of the Eastern Conference continues to be competitive, and the teams predicted to be at the top are a mix. The Boston Celtics are currently in first place with a record of 36-15. Milwaukee Bucks (34-17), Philadelphia 76ers (32-17) and Brooklyn Nets (31-19). His 30 or more wins across the league are only with his seven teams: Celtics, Denver Nuggets, Bucks, Memphis Grizzlies, 76ers, and Brooklyn Nets. The Cavaliers are also playing in his 53 games, the second-most in the NBA this season, as of Wednesday afternoon. He has appeared in more games this season, and is the only player with 54 appearances for the LA Clippers.
In positions of leadership on the coaching staff, Bickerstaff and his staff know they have a responsibility to guide their players in the direction they want. The coaching staff is the group that first sets the tone for each day at the practice facility. They aim to keep the building bright, energized, and keep the Cavaliers moving forward.
“It’s a matter of making sure I’m supporting them enough,” Bickerstaff said. “There are things I take for granted as a coach. Working with young people, they were always better than everyone else. And I didn’t have to do all these cheap tricks, and I think it’s my responsibility to make sure men understand that and do more.”
A slew of injuries in the first half of the season didn’t make the Cavaliers’ road easier in the East. Cleveland has 19 different starting lineups for him this season, and he’s only had three games with a healthy overall rotation. Now that they’re back in full force, the coaching staff is working on lineups and rotations to get players a few minutes on the floor.It’s a time-consuming and delicate process.
Bickerstaff has been switching rotations lately to get a feel for the game and specific matchups. He recently said he was “intrigued” by the line-up of Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen in Tuesday’s game, where Cedio Osman beat him two days earlier. Only seven minutes played in his career since lining up for his high.
That’s not necessarily the Ottoman reality moving forward. Rather, it will be a night-by-night decision, Bickerstaff said. A conversation Bickerstaff already had with Osman about the importance of being prepared.
Kevin Love is in a similar situation. Love was the decision of the DNP coach who returned from a back spasm on Tuesday night. Bickerstaff also said he had a difficult conversation with Love about needing to find the best group to speak to.
All of this affects where the Cavaliers stand at this point in the season.
After the Cavaliers acquired Mitchell in a trade, basketball operations president Coby Altman reiterated at both Mitchell’s first press conference and media day that this season is not a contest. Both the front office and his coaching staff recognize that they are still a young group who need to gain experience. The goal of Mitchell’s existence was to take them to the next level, but they wanted to add playoff experience and create a runway on which to build for the future.
Cavs is still building and growing. That’s what this season is about, and we’ve taken it a step further. Bickerstaff wanted to remind his men of that.
Bickerstaff said, “We want our members to understand all that they’ve been doing and how good a place we’re in now.” Not only will it continue to get better, I will get better, the players will get better, but it’s always about this.
“Again, this doesn’t stop the expectations and growth of the players, but all they’ve done and how positive this place is and how we’re going in the right direction. I want you to understand that there are
(Top photo of Darius Garland and JB Bickerstaff: Jason Miller/Getty Images)
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