Cleveland Cavaliers Next Head Coach Odds: Kenny Atkinson Replaces J.B. Bickerstaff

Fact Checked by Thomas Leary

  • 👀The Cleveland Cavaliers were bounced from the NBA Playoffs in the second round by the Boston Celtics.
  • 🏀Coach J.B. Bickerstaff was then let go, despite leading the Cavs to their first playoff series win since 2017.
  • 👀 Now, Kenny Atkinson has been tapped to replace Bickerstaff in Cleveland.

Another promising season came to a premature end for the Cleveland Cavaliers last week, as the fourth seed in the East was bounced in five games by the top seeded Boston Celtics. That defeat spelled the end of the J.B. Bickerstaff era. Bickerstaff did lead Cleveland to two straight playoff berths, but couldn’t get the franchise past the second round this season.  

Now, Cleveland has settled on former Nets head coach and Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson to be the new head coach, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

BetOhio.com had your hypothetical odds on who would be the next head coach of the Cavs in 2024 and beyond below.

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Cavaliers Next Head Coach Odds

Coach

Odds

% Chance

Kenny Atkinson (Warriors assistant)

+200

33.3%

David Adelman (Nuggets assistant)

+400

20%

James Borrego (Pelicans assistant)

+575

14.8%

JJ Redick (ESPN analyst)

+1100

8.3%

Frank Vogel (former Suns head coach)

+1250

7.4%

Chris Quinn (Heat assistant)

+1900

5%

The Field

+900

10%

Odds provided by BetOhio.com prior to Atkinson's hiring and were not available at Ohio sports betting apps.

Who Replaces Bickerstaff?

A host of top-tier NBA assistants were likely to be the first candidates brought in by Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert and his front office staff this offseason, including Kenny Atkinson (our final leader in the clubhouse at +200).  

Atkinson coached the Nets for three-plus seasons before joining Steve Kerr's staff with the Warriors. Three years ago, he reached a deal to coach the Charlotte Hornets, though the Warriors ownership was able to convince him to stay in the Bay Area. Now, Cleveland has been able to lure him back to the Eastern Conference. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski first reported Atkinson as a "candidate to monitor" as he "coached Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert to the playoffs with Nets."

MORE: LeBron James Trade Rumors.

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USA Today photo by Kyle Terada.

Author

Christopher Boan

Christopher Boan writes for BetOhio.com and has been covering sports and sports betting for more than seven years, with experience at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.

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