The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Bickerstaff eager to resume season play
Cavs were 5-6 under new coach before season was halted for pandemic
Things were going in the right direction for the Cavaliers when coronavirus put a freeze on the NBA.
Things were just getting going in the right direction for the Cavaliers when the novel coronavirus pandemic put a freeze on the NBA, and that is why Coach J.B. Bickerstaff wants the season to resume.
Bickerstaff took over as head coach — the Cavs were 14-40 and had lost 35 of 45 games — when John Beilein resigned on Feb. 19.
Bickerstaff was in the command chair for only 11 games when the sports world shut down. The Cavs went 5-6 and played with energy that was clearly lacking for most of the first 54 games.
No one knows for certain if, when or how the 2019-20 NBA season will resume. But if it does, Bickerstaff is hopeful all teams will be part of it — not only those that are in playoff contention. Seventeen games remained on the Cavs’ schedule when the season was halted on March 12.
“Everybody wants to see a champion,” Bickerstaff said May 6 on a Zoom conference. “Safety first, but if it’s possible, I think it’s worth (resuming the season).
“With our guys in particular, any minute we can get working with each other is beneficial to us. Eleven games is not enough. We were heading in the right direction. I truly believe that. Just the opportunity to be around our guys is something we miss. The conversations we have, the laughs we get, those are things that are important to us as we try to build this thing and head it in the right direction for the future.”