As 16 teams get ready for the start of the NBA playoffs, 14 teams that failed to qualify for the postseason are making preparations for next season. And many have gotten a jump by making coaching changes.
The Sacramento Kings fired head coach Dave Joerger. The Memphis Grizzlies fired coach JB Bickerstaff. And now the Cleveland Cavaliers and Larry Drew have parted ways, as reported by Shams Charania.
The outcome is not too surprising given the season the Cavs had. They began 0-6 and fired Tyronn Lue as head coach. Drew replaced him but had a dispute with the Cavs over his contract situation. Between Drew’s contract issues and owner Dan Gilbert’s itchy trigger finger, the two sides parting ways makes sense.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski says he expects the Cavs to look for an experienced assistant coach for the replacement.
As expected, Cavaliers opening search for a new head coach. Cleveland plans to run a wide-ranging process, but expect experienced NBA assistants like Utah's Alex Jensen, Portland's David Vanterpool and Nate Tibbetts, Denver's Wes Unseld Jr., to be among multiple candidates.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 11, 2019
