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Who’s the new Detroit Pistons head coach?

It will be a great challenge for J.B. Bickerstaff, the new coach of the worst team in the National Basketball Association last season.

Svetozar Pavlović
Svetozar Pavlovićceletozasveta
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 09: Head coach J. B. Bickerstaff of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks on during the first quarter against the Boston Celtics in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Second Round Playoffs at TD Garden on May 09, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Maddie Meyer / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
MADDIE MEYERAFP

Bickerstaff led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the second round of the playoffs last season but was fired at the end of May. He didn’t have to wait long for a new opportunity and agreed to a five-year contract with the Detroit Pistons.

Bickerstaff will replace Monty Williams on the bench of the former champions, who only remained in that position for one season.

Williams was fired after a tough season in which the Pistons won 14 and lost 68 games. They also had a 28-game losing streak. Even a six-year contract worth $76.5 million did not save Williams from being fired.

J.B. Bickerstaff’s career

As a player, Bickerstaff played his first two collegiate seasons at Oregon State and finished his career at the University of Minnesota. He averaged 10.9 points and 6.1 rebounds as a senior for the Golden Gophers. He went undrafted in 2001 at the NBA Draft.

When playing in the NBA did not come true, he continued chasing his dream of working in the best basketball league as an assistant coach. Bickerstaff was an assistant coach for the Charlotte Bobcats for three seasons (2004–2007) and the Minnesota Timberwolves for four seasons (2007–2011). He became an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets on July 14, 2011, and later became the head coach after Kevin McHale was fired. On his debut as head coach, he secured a 108–103 overtime victory against the Portland Trail Blazers.

After the Houston Rockets did not have intentions to hire him as a permanent head coach, on June 8, 2016, Bickerstaff was hired by the Memphis Grizzlies to be the associate head coach. Bickerstaff became interim head coach of the Grizzlies on November 27, 2017, and later became the permanent head coach. He was fired on April 11, 2019, for failing to reach the playoffs. Bickerstaff joined the Cleveland Cavaliers as an assistant and associate head coach on May 19, 2019.

Following the resignation of head coach John Beilein, Bickerstaff was promoted to head coach. He signed a multi-year contract with the Cavaliers on March 10, 2020, and received a contract extension on December 25, 2021. However, he was fired on May 23, 2024, after five seasons in which he brought a new life and dimension to the Cleveland franchise. His win-loss score with the Cavaliers is 170-159 or .500.