Cavaliers Extending JB Bickerstaff is Proof Dan Gilbert Has No Interest in Winning

The Cleveland Cavaliers have dealt with their fare share of adversity since LeBron James opted to jump ship and head west for the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2018 offseason.

In a clear rebuilding phase, the Cavaliers roster appeared less than motivated to weather the storm and tough it out in Cleveland under John Beilein, who signed a five-year deal as their new head coach this offseason. This tenure ended in a disaster, and though JB Bickerstaff has been decent since taking over for Beilein after the All-Star break, the multi-year extension he was offered in seemingly record time should have fans scratching their heads.

If you needed proof that Cavs owner Dan Gilbert isn't committed to winning basketball games, this is it. Cleveland could have finished the season with Bickerstaff at the helm on an interim basis before actively pursuing a head coaching upgrade this summer, but they instead overreacted to the Cavs going a serviceable 4-5 after the fallout with Beilein.

Yes, Bickerstaff is an improvement over Beilein. No, that's not saying much.

Besides, Bickerstaff doesn't have a remotely good track record as a head coach. The Houston Rockets went 37-34 with him as their interim guy in 2016, and got trounced by the No. 1 seed Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs. When he coached the Memphis Grizzlies from 2017 to 2019, his teams won just 48 out of 145 games.

Why is he suddenly the guy by default? What did he do to earn a contract extension? It's enough to make your head spin, and a strong suggestion that this team is going nowhere fast.

Bickerstaff is scheduled to remain in Cleveland through the 2023-24 season, though that could change in a heartbeat. You could argue he's broken the divide between the Cavs' youth and veterans in the locker room, but it's ludicrous to think Bickerstaff has proved himself worthy of a new deal after just nine games.