Donovan Mitchell breaks his silence on who really fired JB Bickerstaff and hired Kenny Atkinson

On By Littum

After the Cleveland Cavaliers were eliminated from the 2024 NBA Playoffs, the organization decided to part ways with JB Bickerstaff and search for a new head coach.

Weeks later, Cleveland hired Kenny Atkinson to fill the vacant role, bringing him from his assistant role Golden State Warriors and makes him the 24th head coach in Cavs history.

The team made the change in a very important offseason for star guard Donovan Mitchell, who was eligible for an extension that he ultimately signed. With his future being such a hot topic going into the offseason, there might have been some speculation that he was involved in the coaching change. He recently cleared the air on that.

“I wanted the organization to make that (coaching) decision,” Mitchell told Athletics. “Obviously, I know people probably think I got it all done, but at the end of the day, I trust (Cavs general manager) Koby (Altman). I trust the front office to say, ‘Okay, what’s the decision ?’ And then you find out what the future looks like.”

Mitchell reportedly gave the Cavs his blessing on the Atkinson hire.

Almost everything has gone right for the Cavs since signing Atkinson, who has helped the team win 17 of its first 19 games this season.

Cleveland, off to a 15-0 start, lost its last game against Atlanta Hawksbut all things considered, the team has to be thrilled to be 17-2 with more than a month of the season in the books. The Cavs have the best record in the NBA and hold a 1.5 game lead Boston Celtics atop the Eastern Conference standings.

Mitchell has had a big hand in Cleveland’s strong start. Across 18 appearances, he has averaged 24.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. game on 46.6 percent shooting from the field and 40.0 percent shooting from long range.

Bickerstaff, for his part, landed on his feet with Detroit Pistons hire him as their new head coach after he was fired by the Cavs. Detroit has looked like an improved team this season under its new captain, with the team already on eight wins after winning just 14 games during the entire 2023-2024 campaign.

Bickerstaff did a great job leading the Cavs through their rebuild, and he could be just what the Pistons need as they look to finally exit their own rebuilding era.