John-Blair Bickerstaff: Former Cavaliers Head Coach

[J_J]

JBB: what is that - did you see that - that’s a foul - where was the call - shaking head crossing hands - where is the foul
Ref: “on my ignore list”

 

[FrontPageNews]

Did he not know brook Lopez could shoot 3s? Zero game plan for him.

 

[Rich]

It's the same plan we had last year.

Help, help, help and then close out and live with shooters making shots.

Teams are just already figuring it out.

You notice Giannis didn't try to force his way into the paint over and over? He saw Mobley coming, and he was quick to kick it out.


Early part of the season feels like fool's gold on defense right now.

That's 4 out of 5 games now we've been smoked from 3.

If that's on Mobley overhelping, then I'd expect to see JBB correct it. Since I'm not seeing that, I must assume that's the gameplan.

 

[CavsKermit]

I don't know that JBB is a good coach, but the reality is that this roster doesn't have enough outside shooters on it, and if Wade can't stay healthy, we've got a problem.

Also, way too many fans underrate Allen's importance to the roster, and despite the fact that the team looks bad every time he goes down, people still insist we can trade him.

 

[Rich]

I don't know that JBB is a good coach, but the reality is that this roster doesn't have enough outside shooters on it, and if Wade can't stay healthy, we've got a problem.

Also, way too many fans underrate Allen's importance to the roster, and despite the fact that the team looks bad every time he goes down, people still insist we can trade him.

The team was looking bad the 3 games prior to him going down.

Last five games, dead last in the NBA in defensive rating.

There is a common denominator: Garland coming back and Wade leaving the lineup.


Now we can all pretend that Garland being reintroduced hasn't had a major negative impact on the defense so we can feel better about our young point guard but...it's happening. He's having a major negative impact on the defense.

 

[CavsKermit]

The team was looking bad the 3 games prior to him going down.

Last five games, dead last in the NBA in defensive rating.

There is a common denominator: Garland coming back and Wade leaving the lineup.


Now we can all pretend that Garland being reintroduced hasn't had a major negative impact on the defense so we can feel better about our young point guard but...it's happening. He's having a major negative impact on the defense.

If you're basing that conclusion upon a three-game sample size, it's not me who's pretending. We beat the Celtics Garland's first game back.

I think the people doing the pretending were the ones allowing themselves to believe that Cedi and LeVert had arrived as prolific shooters, despite both having careers suggesting they were pretty streaky, if not poor outside shooters, or that gifting 3-10 Stevens a bunch of minutes was an answer.

The Cavs need to tighten up their three point defense, especially their rotations, but tonight was a function of surrendering far too many offensive rebounds.

We have three big men in Love, Lopez, and Isaiah Mobley who should probably never be on the floor together. If Wade is gonna Windler-out in terms health, that leaves only Love, Garland, and Mitchell as reliable outside shooters on the roster.

 

[Rich]

If you're basing that conclusion upon a three-game sample size, it's not me who's pretending. We beat the Celtics Garland's first game back.

I think the people doing the pretending were the ones allowing themselves to believe that Cedi and LeVert had arrived as prolific shooters, despite both having careers suggesting they were pretty streaky, if not poor outside shooters, or that gifting 3-10 Stevens a bunch of minutes was an answer.

The Cavs need to tighten up their three point defense, especially their rotations, but tonight was a function of surrendering far too many offensive rebounds.

We have three big men in Love, Lopez, and Isaiah Mobley who should probably never be on the floor together. If Wade is gonna Windler-out in terms health, that leaves only Love, Garland, and Mitchell as reliable outside shooters on the roster.

I mean, you're basing the "Allen holds the team together' thing on a 2 game sample size.

The downward defensive spiral started prior to that. And it's very reminiscent of last year.


Here's the thing: LeVert may very well revert to his career shooting numbers. Probably will.

But as of this very moment, he's been a laser beam from the corner this season. Like 45%.

We run nothing to get him those looks. We run nothing to get anyone but our absolute worst shooters, Isaac Okoro and Lamar Stevens those looks.

In fact, we basically run nothing.


But right now, LeVert is providing plenty of spacing if we'd actually design an offense to use it. Maybe that doesn't hold up.

But tonight, for instance. He had zero corner attempts. Guys is currently our best corner 3 shooter, and he had no attempts.

I'll say this again: We have the only staff in the league who doesn't value the corner 3..on either end. We don't try and prevent them and we don't try and generate them. If we get them, they just kinda happen by accident.

 

[CavsKermit]

I mean, you're basing the "Allen holds the team together' thing on a 2 game sample size.

The downward defensive spiral started prior to that. And it's very reminiscent of last year.


Here's the thing: LeVert may very well revert to his career shooting numbers. Probably will.

But as of this very moment, he's been a laser beam from the corner this season. Like 45%.

We run nothing to get him those looks. We run nothing to get anyone but our absolute worst shooters, Isaac Okoro and Lamar Stevens those looks.

In fact, we basically run nothing.


But right now, LeVert is providing plenty of spacing if we'd actually design an offense to use it. Maybe that doesn't hold up.

But tonight, for instance. He had zero corner attempts. Guys is currently our best corner 3 shooter, and he had no attempts.

I'll say this again: We have the only staff in the league who doesn't value the corner 3..on either end. We don't try and prevent them and we don't try and generate them. If we get them, they just kinda happen by accident.

I've saw what happened when Allen went down last season and it was a much larger sample size than two games. That was when we had Lauri. He's gone now, so is Moses Brown, and they've been replaced by Isiah Mobley and Robin Lopez.

I'd suggest to you that LeVert's corner three sample size is way too small to bank on and that's not entirely, nor even mostly, due to coaching or people looking for him.

He's not providing spacing if teams still help off of him and they do.

 

[Rich]

I'd suggest to you that LeVert's corner three sample size is way too small to bank on and that's not entirely, nor even mostly, due to coaching or people looking for him

This is beside the point. As of today, he's been a very good corner 3 shooter. Whether that holds or not is irrelevant to the right now.

He's providing spacing if we ran an offense that sought out corner shooters. This one doesn't.

If teams help off of him, then he should, you know, get the ball.

BTW, as you defend JBB, recall when Wade was healthy he wasn't the starter. It was LeVert.

So while you talk about the roster not having enough floor spacers, the coach doesn't seem to actually prioritize that in the first place.

Ultimately, I think they need to try and round out the roster in a different way too.

But this is a JBB thread: and when presented with the option of starting a SF with proper size whose offense is mainly just spot up shooting or Caris LeVert, he chose LeVert.

So square that circle.

 

[CavsKermit]

This is beside the point. As of today, he's been a very good corner 3 shooter. Whether that holds or not is irrelevant to the right now.

He's providing spacing if we ran an offense that sought out corner shooters. This one doesn't.

BTW, as you defend JBB, recall when Wade was healthy he wasn't the starter. It was LeVert.

So while you talk about the roster not having enough floor spacers, the coach doesn't seem to actually prioritize that in the first place.

You're seeing something I'm not in terms of teams staying with LeVert out at three point line. To my eye, they're perfectly happy with LeVert shooting from out there. Spacing the floor requires both a high percentage and more than a shot or two a game.

And I absolutely believe Wade should start because I think your offense should be built around your 4 best players, but if Wade doesn't have the constitution to start, or even play serious minutes off the bench, then the team has a problem.

 

[Rich]

You're seeing something I'm not in terms of teams staying with LeVert out at three point line. To my eye, they're perfectly happy with LeVert shooting from out there. Spacing the floor requires both a high percentage and more than a shot or two a game.

And I absolutely believe Wade should start because I think your offense should be built around your 4 best players, but if Wade doesn't have the constitution to start, or even play serious minutes off the bench, then the team has a problem.

So then as long as he's shooting above 40% from 3, my guy, they should be passing him the ball and designing sets to take advantage of teams helping off of him. They are not.

You seem to be saying the Cavs should just anticipate that there will be a regression and not utilize the shooting he's giving before theres actually a regression.

I can't disagree more.

 

[CavsKermit]

So then as long as he's shooting above 40% from 3, my guy, they should be passing him the ball and designing sets to take advantage of teams helping off of him. They are not.

You seem to be saying the Cavs should just anticipate that there will be a regression and not utilize the shooting he's giving before theres actually a regression.

I can't disagree more.

I'm seeing a player who has the space to shoot but really prefers to drive. He's not terribly different than Sexton in that way. But no, opposing teams don't close out on guys who average 3 or less attempts per game.

 

[BigZ94]

Trash, we had the better roster last night but by far the inferior coach

High p&r, high pnr, high pnr, oh that doesn’t work? Iso ball.

On defense, fuck defending 3s, let’s over help and leave corner snipers wide open in 2022… that’s gonna work a treat.

We need a new coach yesterday, he’s got a stacked roster with 3/4 allstars and doesn’t know what to do with them.

Our offense (and now defense apparently) is so simple it’s infuriating. Couldn’t even watch the second half cause I just new we’d somehow lose to Giannis and a bunch of benchwarmers.

Imagine if golden state had a coach like this 2015-2022. Doubt they’d have a single title, their offense was so beautiful with offball movement screens etc. We don’t do ANY of that, just pick and rolls over and over and over. The frustrating thing is we have the personnel to be so much better.

Also just how damn stubborn he is with playing “his guys”. It’s so fricken obvious Wade needs to start over Levert. We have enough ball handlers in the starting lineup in Garland and Mitchel, and the bench desperately needs one until Rubio is back.. good coach’s do this all the time. Pop always bringing Ginobli off the bench, Nick Nurse was brining FVV off the bench to let Danny Green start, guys like Jamal Crawford coming off the bench almost his whole career because he fit that role better. Kerr bringing Iggy off the bench. Sometimes you have a player who is better but he just doesn’t fit. Great coaches see it, JBB does not. He’s just a prime example of NBA nepotism, has some nice gimmicks to encourage guys to play hard.. but once other teams figure out his gameplan he doesn’t have any adjustments and we’re screwed, same thing happened last year. I’d take Walton over him even right now

 

[Alec]

So he’s not a genius and we aren’t gonna win 70 games? Lmao

 

[Dr. Claw]

It is becoming more and more apparent that the reason for the LeVert/Mitchell/Garland line ups is to substitute potential playmaking among the players for actual offensive game planning. Something I largely suspected of the coaches under LeBron, but both Spoelstra and Lue have carved themselves out as more than capable head coaches without him and LeSystem in their own right.

The main excuse is the lack of talent at SF. But LeVert ideally should be taking Cedi minutes or only paired with one of the other guards in lineups.
But after Dean Wade returns, he should start, Lamar should sub, and LeVert should come in to relieve either Garland or Mitchell when one of them sits.

The rotations have not improved in JBB's tenure.

This is before we get to defense and how the guys who try the hardest (Okoro, Stevens, Mitchell) do their thing but the lack of system gets the Cavs torched from 3 by everyone.

don't let Mike Brown get more out of the Kangz (who have leveled up personnel wise despite their baffling trade with Indiana) than JBB with the Cavs.