Getty Image / Jason Miller
After just 54 games as the man in charge of the Cavaliers, John Beilein is out in Cleveland as the former Michigan man is leaving the franchise.
The 67-year-old left Michigan after 12 seasons to test the waters in the NBA, but it was mostly a struggle throughout his short NBA tenure.
When Beilein was hired by the Cavs back in May of 2019 there were mixed reactions. On one hand, he had proven that he is developing young talent, which the Cavs have plenty of, but on the other hand, it never felt like a long-term hire and it turned out to be a shorter hire than most expected.
As for what specifically went wrong, ESPN reported that Beilein took his college coaching style to the NBA, screaming and yelling and all, and the Cavs simply didn’t respond. Professional athletes don’t love being yelled at, so the Cavs simply tuned him out.
Beilein struggled to connect with NBA players and was never able to implement his collegiate offense into the pro game. He befell the plight of some previous coaches who made the leap to the NBA: players quickly tuning him out with his penchant for screaming and believing that Beilein was treating them as young, college athletes, not as professionals, league sources said.
The coach struggled with the stress of losing games and the lack of control he felt within the locker room, league sources said. The organization largely wanted him to just concentrate on developing the young talent on the roster.
Beilein signed a five-year contract with Cleveland when he was initially hired that paid him over $4 million per season.
Assistant coach J.B. Bickerstaff will take over as associate head coach.
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