TITLE: Bickerstaff Says He Nearly Left Coaching Before Pistons Opportunity Arrived
SLUG: bickerstaff-almost-left-coaching-before-pistons-job
CONTENT:
Detroit Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff revealed he was preparing to step away from the NBA after his dismissal from the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2024, believing another sideline opportunity would not surface quickly.
“I didn’t think I was going to get a job,” Bickerstaff told Heavy.com’s Steve Bulpett. “There weren’t jobs available at that point, so I was just sitting at home in Cleveland, hanging out with my family, trying to figure out what was next.”
While weighing his future, Bickerstaff and his family planned a move to San Clemente, California, so his children could attend a soccer academy. Instead, Detroit called. The Pistons hired him, and the 45-year-old coach has overseen a dramatic turnaround.
Detroit owns a 40-13 record, the best mark in the Eastern Conference all season, just two years after the franchise set an NBA record with 28 consecutive losses.
Bickerstaff said a short break between jobs proved valuable. “That month I had off gave me an opportunity to evaluate myself,” he explained. “The focus should always be on the process and not just the results.” He acknowledged that emphasis slipped during his final season in Cleveland, adding, “Results, results, results — we skipped some of the process stuff.”
With the Pistons, Bickerstaff insists both he and the organization have remained committed to the process he temporarily lost. The coach who once thought his career might be over is now guiding one of the NBA’s most surprising success stories.
Source: Hoops Wire
