Donovan Mitchell Talks Cavaliers Firing JB Bickerstaff, Hiring Kenny Atkinson: ‘It Is Part Of The Game, Part Of The Business’

“It is part of the game, part of the business,” Mitchell said. “I got respect for J.B. and especially what he’s done here in Cleveland for what he did during the five years he was here. But it’s just part of it.

“And for us, bringing in Kenny I think is going to be a great addition to what we’ve continued to build. If you look at what he’s done and what he did in Brooklyn [as a head coach], obviously being with Golden State [as an assistant coach] the past few years and then being [an assistant coach] with the French national team, he’s been around a lot of winning at a high level. So being able to bring that here, it’s something that’s going to definitely help us continue our trajectory of going upward, going forward and continuing to build. That’s the biggest thing, continue to build. And you can’t skip steps. That’s the biggest thing. You got to continue to find ways to win.”

Bickerstaff went 170-159 in the regular season and 6-11 in the playoffs with the Cavaliers, who hired Atkinson to a five-year deal.

Bickerstaff is the new head coach of the Detroit Pistons. The Cavaliers will see their old head coach multiple times this season since Detroit and Cleveland are in the same NBA division. 

Hoops Wire senior writer Sam Amico reported that Bickerstaff wasn’t happy the Cavaliers fired him. He felt he deserved “a few more seasons.”

“I can tell you Bickerstaff was none-too-pleased that the Cavs decided to part ways,” Amico reported. “He seemingly felt as if he deserved a few more seasons to finish what he started — much like the seven years Michael Malone got with the Denver Nuggets before finally winning a title. The Cavs felt otherwise and hired former Brooklyn Nets head coach and ex-Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson.”

Mitchell, who signed a three-year extension with Cleveland, signed off on the Atkinson hire, sources told Hoops Wire.