CLEVELAND — It’s been almost a month since J.B. Bickerstaff coached his last game for Cleveland and the Cavaliers are still looking for his successor.
The team has interviewed five candidates, including former NBA coaches James Borrego, Kenny Atkinson and Dave Joerger, two people with knowledge of the team’s search process told the Associated Press on Thursday. One of the people said the search remains “fluid and ongoing.”
The Cavs have also interviewed Minnesota assistant Micah Nori and New York Knicks assistant Johnnie Bryant. They could meet with other candidates in the coming days, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team is not commenting during the process.
It’s possible the search could extend into next week, one of the people said.
The team also received permission to speak with Denver assistant David Adelman.
Bickerstaff was fired on May 23, a week after the Cavs were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics, who are up 3-0 on Dallas in the NBA Finals.
It was an agonizing decision for the Cavs as Bickerstaff helped oversee a rebuild that began in 2018 after LeBron James left for the second time as a free agent.
Bickerstaff went 170-159 in four-plus seasons - 6-11 in the playoffs - and led the Cavs to back-to-back playoff appearances the last two years. Cleveland beat Orlando in the first round this year, the franchise’s first series win without James since 1993.
While Bickerstaff had success, and navigated around numerous injuries this season, the Cavs’ decision makers felt the team should be further along with a strong, young nucleus of players led by All-Star Donovan Mitchell.
On May 24, president of basketball operations Koby Altman said the team needed “a new approach, someone with a different voice, a fresh set of eyes to help us move forward.”
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