3 Head Coaches the Cavaliers Should Hire With Latest JB Bickerstaff Rumors
By Cem Yolbulan
2. Mike D'Antoni
This hire would be on the other end of the spectrum. An offensive mastermind, Mike D'Antoni would be an intriguing option to see whether the Darius Garland-Donovan Mitchell pairing can work.
D'Antoni is widely credited with engineering the modern NBA offense. During his time with the Phoenix Suns between 2003 and 2008, he played an up-tempo style that prioritized pace and space over everything else. They pioneered the three-point revolution and his system was one of the main reasons Steve Nash won back-to-back MVPs.
He hasn't been able to translate this to postseason success but he has had consistently successful tenures, most notably with the Houston Rockets. He helped take James Harden's game to the next level, turning him into one of the best scorers of all-time, and earning him an MVP award.
If the Cavs were to hire D'Antoni, they would hope that the 73-year-old can get a similar type of improvement out of Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell.
D'Antoni hasn't been a head coach since 2020 and his age makes him more of a short-term consideration, but there might not be a better name out there if the Cavs want to maximize their postseason hopes for the next couple of years.