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John Beilein is leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers as head coach. The Cavaliers are promoting associate head coach J.B. Bickerstaff to become the full-time head coach.
Beilein and the Cavaliers negotiated a financial settlement that will pay him a portion of the remaining money on his 2019-20 contract. He left the University of Michigan and signed a five-year contract with Cleveland that included a team option for the final season, a deal that paid him more than $4 million a season.
Beilein struggled to connect with NBA players and was never able to implement his collegiate offense into the pro game. He befell the plight of some previous coaches who made the leap to the NBA: players quickly tuning him out with his penchant for screaming; and players believing that Beilein was treating them as young, college athletes, not as professionals.
He has a career record of 571-325 as a college coach. He made the NCAA tournament in his last four seasons at Michigan, including a Final Four appearance in 2017-18.
As the interim head coach with Houston in 2015-16, Bickerstaff led the Rockets to the playoffs with a 37-34 record. In two seasons with the rebuilding Memphis Grizzlies, Bickerstaff was 15-48 as an interim coach in 2017-18 following David Fizdale's firing, and 33-49 in 2018-19.
Beilein and the Cavaliers negotiated a financial settlement that will pay him a portion of the remaining money on his 2019-20 contract. He left the University of Michigan and signed a five-year contract with Cleveland that included a team option for the final season, a deal that paid him more than $4 million a season.
Beilein struggled to connect with NBA players and was never able to implement his collegiate offense into the pro game. He befell the plight of some previous coaches who made the leap to the NBA: players quickly tuning him out with his penchant for screaming; and players believing that Beilein was treating them as young, college athletes, not as professionals.
He has a career record of 571-325 as a college coach. He made the NCAA tournament in his last four seasons at Michigan, including a Final Four appearance in 2017-18.
As the interim head coach with Houston in 2015-16, Bickerstaff led the Rockets to the playoffs with a 37-34 record. In two seasons with the rebuilding Memphis Grizzlies, Bickerstaff was 15-48 as an interim coach in 2017-18 following David Fizdale's firing, and 33-49 in 2018-19.