J.B. Bickerstaff Hired As Pistons Coach

J.B. Bickerstaff hired as Pistons coach

This morning, Adrian Wojnarowski confirmed the Detroit Pistons have hired J.B. Bickerstaff as their next head coach. Bickerstaff, 45, will sign a five-year deal with four guaranteed, per sources.

ESPN Sources: The Detroit Pistons are hiring J.B. Bickerstaff as the franchise’s next coach. Bickerstaff comes to the Pistons after consecutive trips to playoffs with Cavaliers —- including the Eastern Conference semifinals. pic.twitter.com/ZlX0CZIH6C

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2024

Bickerstaff is no stranger to coaching. The Denver native has filled various coaching roles since his first gig as an assistant coach with the Charlotte Bobcats in 2004. Bickerstaff was fired from his most recent position as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers at the end of their 2024 playoff run. Bickerstaff posted a 179-150 record in five seasons as the top coach in Cleveland, and led the Cavaliers to back-to-back playoff runs in 2023 and 2024.

J.B. Bickerstaff now finds himself amongst the chaos that is the Detroit Pistons. Detroit finds themselves at the lowest point of a decades long skid, appearing to be in complete free fall at this moment. They fired former head coach Monty Williams just one year in to a six-year deal worth $78.5 million. They took on generational bust James Wiseman in 2022. They posted a ludicrous 14-68 record last season, losing a record 28 games in a row along the way. The glory days of the 1990s and 2000s are long gone for the Pistons. They haven’t won a title since 2004, and have only a handful of playoff appearances in the last decade.

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Aside from the atrocious on-court product, J.B. Bickerstaff will now have to contend with an organization that is in constant turmoil at every level. On top of dismissing their previous coach, Detroit replaced their general manager this year as well. New GM Trajan Langdon is supposedly leading a “deliberate” rebuild in Detroit. He reportedly plans to offer Cade Cunningham an extension this season, then “aggressively” seek to add talent on the court and within the management of the Pistons. Bickerstaff, who lead the Cavaliers to the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference last season, has his work cut out for him.

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