Josh Giddey embraces fresh start with Bulls

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Oklahoma City Thunder’s Josh Giddey plays during an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, April 2, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

CHICAGO — Josh Giddey is looking forward to a fresh start in Chicago.

The 6-foot-8 guard from Australia confirmed Tuesday he did not want to come off the bench for Oklahoma City and insisted he appreciated Thunder general manager Sam Presti’s honesty leading up to the trade to the Bulls last week for Alex Caruso.

“I’m 21 years old, it wasn’t something that I was overly eager to do,” Giddey said during a videoconference. “He completely understood. And just throughout the whole process, we were open and honest with each other. And I said to him, ’Look, coming off the bench at this point in my career, it’s not something I’m trying to do and take a reserve role. He got it. And we worked together through the whole process, and he got me to a great spot.”

READ: NBA: Josh Giddey didn’t want to come off the bench, prompting trade

Giddey is coming off a challenging season in which his numbers dropped and he lost his starting job in the playoffs. He goes from a team that went 57-25 to earn the top seed in the NBA Western Conference and reached the conference semifinals with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren leading the way to one that missed the playoffs for the second straight year.

Giddey said he hasn’t discussed his specific role with the Bulls, though it’s hard to envision him coming off the bench in Chicago if he didn’t want to do it in Oklahoma City.

Presti said in a statement last week that the Thunder saw him in a reserve role next season in order “to maximize his many talents and deploy our team more efficiently over 48 minutes.” He said Giddey had a tough time with that idea and asked to be traded.

“The one thing about him that I really respect is his transparency,” Giddey said. “And he’s very open and honest with players and especially with me throughout this whole process.”

Giddey was the No. 6 overall pick in 2021 and he made the All-Rookie second team. He is a member of Australia’s national team that will play at the Paris Olympics this summer. He is an exceptional passer and his size makes him a solid rebounder.

READ: NBA: Thunder trade Josh Giddey to Bulls for Alex Caruso

Giddey averaged 16.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists in his second season, but those numbers dropped to 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 2023-24.

Giddey was also often booed on the road after an anonymous social media user accused him of having an improper relationship with an underage girl, leading to investigations by police in Newport Beach, California, and the NBA.

Newport Beach police completed their investigation in January and said detectives were “unable to corroborate any criminal activity.” The NBA also later dropped its investigation.

“I completely understand the question and I know you’ve got to ask as part of your job, but I’m not going to comment on anything regarding that situation,” Giddey said.

The trade for Giddey was the first move in what could be a busy offseason for Chicago, which owns the No. 11 pick in the draft on Wednesday. Executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas vowed to make changes after the team he constructed finished 39-43.

Six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan is a free agent. Zach LaVine might be dealt after playing in just 25 games before having season-ending foot surgery, though the five-year, $215.16 million extension he signed following the 2021-22 season could make him tough to move.

It’s not quite clear how the guard rotation will play out with Giddey added to a mix that includes Coby White coming off a breakout season and Ayo Dosunmu in a key role. Lonzo Ball could also figure into it, though he’s been sidelined since January 2022 because of a left knee injury. He has said he expects to be ready for the season opener.

Giddey said he didn’t discuss with the front office if the Bulls were retooling or undergoing a major overhaul.



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“In terms of what direction the franchise is going, I haven’t asked any questions,” he said. “I’ve just kind of bought into whatever happens here, happens. And, I’ll probably play my part in helping our team be as good as we can be right from the jump.”

Knicks to acquire Mikal Bridges in trade from Nets

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Mikal Bridges #1 of the Brooklyn Nets warms up before the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Barclays Center on March 05, 2024 in New York City. Mike Lawrie/Getty Images/AFP

NEW YORK — Mikal Bridges is being traded by the Brooklyn Nets to the New York Knicks, where he will join Jalen Brunson and his other former Villanova teammates, two people with knowledge of the details said Tuesday.

The first trade between the New York rivals since 1983 will put Bridges in the lineup alongside Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo, players who helped the Wildcats win two NCAA championships and were the core of a Knicks lineup that reached the NBA Eastern Conference semifinals last season.

READ: NBA: Knicks must weigh whether if being healthy enough is good enough

The Knicks will pay big to get him, with ESPN reporting that they are sending Bojan Bogdanovic to the Nets along with four unprotected first-round picks and one protected pick.

The deal was confirmed to The Associated Press under condition of anonymity because it is not yet official.



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Fil-Canadian libero makes case for roster spot in PVL combine

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Fil-Canadian libero Aleiah Torres during the PVL Rookie Draft combine.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino-Canadian libero Aleiah Torres excelled in several tests in the first-ever PVL Rookie Draft Combine, achieving a group-best 50 reps in the one-minute pushup and recording the fastest time in the modified agility T-test with 5.98 seconds on Tuesday at GameVille Ball Park in Mandaluyong City.

The Brock University product is among the 47 aspirants hoping to earn a roster spot from the 12 PVL teams in the inaugural Rookie Draft on July 8 at Novotel.

Torres, whose parents lived in Cavite and Tarlac before she was born and raised in Canada, applied for the draft, wanting to be part of the PVL’s growth and emergence as one of the country’s top leagues.

“I really like watching the teams here. The crowd’s really exciting. Everyone’s always involved when they’re watching the games,” she said. “I just thought it is super exciting and being able to play in the Philippines is just super special for me since I have lots of family here.”

In fact, Torres is hoping to meet Petro Gazz’s reigning All-Filipino MVP Brooke Van Sickle, Choco Mucho star Sisi Rondina, and her fellow Filipino-Canadian Savi Davison of PLDT.

READ: Almonte hopes to redeem self in PVL after down final year with Adamson

The 5-foot-4 libero, who started playing volleyball at 12 years old, is bringing her championship experience from Canada to the PVL.

“I played club volleyball and then I played in a university at Brock. I played for the varsity team there. We were really successful, we won three championships so hopefully I can bring my experience and my winning championship and mindset to whatever team I get drafted to,” Torres said.

READ: Unheralded player from Marinduque chases PVL dream

Torres, though, is tempering her expectations in the upcoming draft. All she can promise if a team drafts her is her athleticism, steady floor defense, and high volleyball IQ.

“I don’t really have too many expectations. I just came to have a lot of fun and play really good volleyball. Hopefully, I can contribute to whatever team I get drafted to and just experience everything that the Philippines has to offer,” she said.

“I think as a libero, I can read the game really well especially from the backcourt, playing defense and seeing what my teammates should be doing up in the net. I’ll let them know how many hitters they have or attack, what’s open for them. So, I think I really have high IQ on the court, good leadership, and just I think I’m really fast so I like to chase down some balls.”



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Lakers coach JJ Redick hopes to create great content with LeBron

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JJ Redick speaks after being introduced as the new head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers NBA basketball team Monday, June 24, 2024, in El Segundo, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

EL SEGUNDO, California — JJ Redick says his extraordinary hiring as the Los Angeles Lakers’ head coach means the end of his podcast with LeBron James.

Redick hopes they’ll be able to produce much more compelling content next season in a new incarnation of their partnership, chasing an NBA championship together with the Lakers.

The Lakers formally introduced Redick as their coach on Monday, which also happened to be the 15-year NBA veteran’s 40th birthday.

In a news conference with general manager Rob Pelinka at the Lakers’ training complex, Redick humorously embraced the unlikeliness of his extraordinary hire as he looked across a gym filled with team employees, media members and some of his new players.

“I have never coached in the NBA before,” Redick said with a straight face. “I don’t know if you guys have heard that.”

READ: NBA: Lakers hiring JJ Redick as their new head coach

Redick’s coaching experience is confined to volunteering with his sons’ youth teams, but he plans to overcome that yawning gap with encyclopedic basketball knowledge, personal charisma, an experience-packed coaching staff and an eagerness to innovate.

“This process has been surreal, to say the least,” Redick said. “I take this responsibility very seriously.. … The Lakers have some of the most passionate fans around the world, and the expectation is a championship, and so it’s my job to deliver a championship-caliber team. That’s what I signed up for.”

Redick also said he got this opportunity with no help or advice from James, who must decide this week whether to exercise his player option to return to the Lakers next season or to become a free agent.

Although Redick didn’t break any news, he spoke extensively about the way he hopes to deploy James next season with the Lakers — including shooting more 3-pointers to capitalize on his high percentage.

Redick said he didn’t speak with James at all about Los Angeles’ lengthy coaching search until a 15-minute conversation after the Lakers offered the job to him last Thursday. But Redick has spoken extensively with fellow Lakers star Anthony Davis, who was more involved than James in the team’s hiring process.

Redick and James won’t be speaking on microphone together anytime soon, however: Redick acknowledges that he’ll have to stop recording their podcast.

READ: NBA: Dan Hurley turns down Lakers offer, will stay UConn

“For the time being — and hopefully it’s a very, very long time — I am excommunicated from the content space,” Redick said. “There will be no podcasts. We’ll do something when I have a breather from what I have coming up. I’m gonna be drinking from a firehose for the next month.”

The Lakers reached an agreement with Redick last week, about two weeks after UConn coach Dan Hurley turned down a lucrative offer to jump to the NBA from the back-to-back defending national champion Huskies. Neither Redick nor Hurley has ever coached in the NBA.

Redick said he met with Pelinka before the Lakers’ pursuit of Hurley, and he was on broadcast duty for ESPN while the saga played out.

“At no point was my ego or feelings hurt or bruised in any way,” Redick said. “Dan Hurley is a two-time national champion at UConn. I am a two-time 55 Swish League champion in the third- and fourth-grade division. I understood, you know?”

Redick played 15 NBA seasons for six teams as a productive shooting guard after a four-year career at Duke. He became the Blue Devils’ career scoring leader under Mike Krzyzewski.

After he retired in 2021, Redick embarked on a media career. In just the past several months, he started the “Mind the Game” podcast with James while also ascending to ESPN’s top commentary team, working the NBA Finals this month. Yet Redick realized last year that he wanted to be an NBA head coach after interviewing for the job in Toronto, and he has since spoken at length to top coaches about every aspect of their jobs.

Redick’s insightful podcast with James opened many eyes about Redick’s understanding of the game, and his name arose as a viable — albeit unorthodox — candidate to replace Darvin Ham, who had been fired May 3.

Ham was dismissed by Pelinka and owner Jeanie Buss despite leading the Lakers to two winning seasons, the 2023 Western Conference finals and a victory in the inaugural In-Season Tournament. The Lakers lost to defending champion Denver in the first round of the postseason, and they won just one game in two playoff series against the Nuggets over the past two years.

“I think in industry in general and in sports in specific, sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in patterns of being in a sea of sameness, and doing the same things everybody else is doing,” Pelinka said. “When we embarked on this search, it was really important for us to see if we could do something a little bit different.”



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Lakers players including Spencer Dinwiddie, Christian Wood and Gabe Vincent attended the news conference.

Redick spoke optimistically about the Lakers’ roster, saying championship expectations are “reasonable. I don’t look at the current roster as being that far off from being a championship-caliber team.”

Cebu bets lead march to National finals

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Eliana Mendoza and Kvan Alburo qualified for the ICTSI Junior Philippine Golf Tour (PGT) National Match Play championship after extending their reigns in the girls’ and boys’ 8-9 division, respectively, in the Bacolod Visayas leg of the circuit at Bacolod Country Club on Tuesday, Mendoza, the champion last week at Sta. Barbara in Iloilo, closed out with an 84 for a 36-hole 169, winning by a wide margin over Ana Marie Aguilar, while Alburo, another bet from Cebu, tallied 170 after an 87 to win over Benedict Rolida and Benito Tiongko.

The national finals will be held at The Country Club in Laguna where only those with enough ranking points will be eligible to play.

“I’m very happy, this win means a lot to me because I got to make my family proud,” said the 9-year-old Mendoza from Cebu after amassing 30 points for her twin victories.

Zuri Bagaloyos capped the Cebuanos’ sweep in the second leg of the Bacolod series organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. The Singapore School-Cebu student secured a commanding win in the girls’ 10-12 division after closing out with a 74 for 156 avenging her defeat to Cailey Gonzales in the Iloilo leg.



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Olympic medalist, golfers hike PH team count to 20

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Kayla Noelle Sanchez of the Philippines is seen during the 19th Asian Games Women’s 400m Freestyle Swimming Final held at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Aquatic Sports Arena in Hangzhou, China. Sanchez finished with a time of 54.69 seconds. (Photo by Luis Veniegra / SOPA Images/Sipa USA)No Use Germany.

Double Olympic medalist Kayla Sanchez will bring more prestige to a Philippine delegation brimming with potential podium finishers like her in the grandest sports showpiece on earth.

Sanchez, a silver and bronze performer in the swimming relay events of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics while carrying the Canadian colors, now represents the Philippines and will showcase her worth in the women’s 100-meter freestyle while Jarod Hatch, bronze medalist in the men’s 50-m butterfly of the Southeast Asian Games last year, likewise made it to the glitzy French capital.

They both qualified through universality with Hatch seeing action in the 100-m butterfly.

“[W]e’re expecting more. We’re chasing history and we’re setting the ante higher,’’ said Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, whose goal is to surpass or match the nation’s one-gold, two-silver and one-bronze medal output in Tokyo.

The latest batch of Olympic qualifiers brings to 20 the number of Filipinos who will compete in Paris. And while Sanchez represents a foreign ace flying back to represents her roots, the Olympic roster will also feature two Filipinos who were once members of the national team but are now representing other countries.

Golfer Yuka Saso, a two-Major winner who played for the Philippines in the Tokyo Olympics, qualified for Japan this time while fencer Maxine Esteban, a multi-World Cup medalist for the country who was once the highest-rated Filipino in the world rankings, will compete in the French capital representing Ivory Coast.

In Saso’s place, two Filipino golfers will vie for medals in Paris, Bianca Pagdanganan and Dottie Ardina.

The two standouts were part of the names released by the international golf federation as the official qualifiers for women’s golf, along with Saso.

Two-time judo Olympian Kiyomi Watanabe was also added to the Philippine roster after qualifying through the continental quota.

The Filipino-Japanese from Mandaue, Cebu, secured one of the two Asian quotas in the women’s -63-kg division after ranking No. 92 in the world.

Meanwhile, in athletics, at least three to four tracksters could join pole vaulter EJ Obiena in the biggest track and field spectacle in the world. INQ



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‘Watch out for me,’ Petecio says as last gold chance looms

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Nesthy Petecio (right) may not be announcing it to the world, but gold is the goal of every athlete in the Olympics. —AFP

In what could be Nesthy Petecio’s last time to represent the country in the Olympics, the Tokyo 2020 silver medalist will be looking to do things a little different than the way she handled her Summer Games debut.

“If you’re asking me how I will be [in the Paris Olympics], I will just be chill with everything that I will do,” Petecio said in Filipino during a send- off event for the country’s bets in Makati City last week.

Chill means never needing to brandish her target for everyone to see. But even as Petecio isn’t vocal about what medal she will be chasing in Paris next month, she also knows she isn’t kidding anyone.

“All of us athletes are aiming for the gold medal; no one is thinking of not getting that and we are all working hard in training,” Petecio said. “But I don’t want to be the kind of person who says what color of medal I want to get, what I want is for all of you to watch out for me in every fight.”

“Whatever pressure I will encounter, I already know about that because us athletes are always accompanied by pressure … we should just focus on what we can handle and what I can handle is how I will perform,” she added.

Petecio ended the country’s Olympic medal drought in boxing when she landed a silver medal three years ago in the Japanese capital.

After two flawless preliminary bouts, the Davao del Sur native advanced to the quarterfinals to beat Yeni Arias of Colombia and assure herself of a medal in the inaugural women’s featherweight event.

Asian Games target

In the semifinals, Petecio carved out a majority decision win against Italian Irma Testa but fell short to the also debuting hometown bet Sena Iria via a unanimous decision.

“Imagine, I was going to sleep before my fight the next day and when I lifted my blanket I saw the Japanese flag—that’s how intense the pressure I felt was because it was my first time to reach this high level,” Petecio said.

“It was really different so I prayed ‘Lord, remove this pressure that I am feeling,’ because it was really hard to fight when even while sleeping I was seeing the Japanese flag,” she added.

With Father Time catching up, the first female Filipino Olympic boxing medalist might be looking at her last shot for the elusive gold. Petecio is 32 years old and because of politics surrounding the sport, boxing could lose its spot in Los Angeles in 2028.

If that pushes through, Petecio would be shifting her focus to the Asian Games.



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“I am getting older, but I am still raring to get a medal in the Asian Games because I have come up always zero in that so I still need to push one last time,” Petecio said. INQ

Set on Gagate at No. 1, Zus eyes other young talents

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Thea Gagate at the PVL Rookie Draft combine.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Jerry Yee is now looking at his first pick in the second round of the PVL Draft next month in order to perk up Zus Coffee’s chances the best way he can when the Thunderbelles campaign in the import-laced Reinforced Conference next month.

With Yee making up his mind in selecting the towering Thea Gagate first overall, he and the rest of coaching staff are now looking at the rest of the 46-strong pool and are praying that none of the other teams picking second to 12th overall grabs the young talents available.

“It’s a consensus on who No. 1 is—you need her height and mobility,” Yee said in a mix of Filipino when asked on who Zus will make as the historic first overall choice in the first-ever Draft proceedings. “Management still has to approve (selection of Gagate), but we already agreed on the name we want.”

Barring any hiccups, Gagate will be joining the core of NCAA champion College of St. Benilde like MVP and setter Cloanne Mondonedo, Gayle Pascual, Jade Gentapa and Michelle Gamit.

“So I am here now to look at the 13th pick,” said Yee, who watched the Draft Combine in Mandaluyong

The 6-foot-2 Gagate concluded a productive UAAP career at La Salle, where she won one title, and was one of the stars for Alas Pilipinas when it bagged a historic bronze medal in the Asian Volleyball Confederation Challenge Cup last month.

She still is part of the Alas pool, which could have her miss some games in the Reinforced with the national team to play in a couple of tournaments while the PVL is ongoing.

“I am very honored that I am their first choice and I am grateful for it, so I just hope that I will get there soon,” said Gagate, a three-time first Best Middle Blocker in the UAAP.

“For my part, I’ll just do my best to help the team rise through the rankings in the PVL,” she added.

Yee said that he still has a lot of spots to fill up and is hoping against hope that the other teams would grab the seasoned players in the pool on July 8. INQ



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Gilas Pilipinas flies to Turkiye hoping to show readiness for OQT

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Dwight Ramos leads Gilas Pilipinas past Taiwan Mustangs in a tune-up game. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

National coach Tim Cone was brutally candid when asked to assess Gilas Pilipinas ahead of the tall task in the Fiba Olympic Qualifiers (OQT).

“I don’t expect us to be ready at this point,” he told reporters late Monday night, shortly after thumping the Taiwan Mustangs, 74-64, in the first of three tuneup matches lined up ahead of the showcase in Riga, Latvia.

“We’re not ready, [and] that’s why we’re still practicing and playing friendlies—so we could get ready. I hope to see improvement. I hope to see us get better on both sides of the ball,” he added.

And so Gilas left for Turkiye on late Tuesday night, hoping to do just that. The Philippines is slated to play higher-ranked Turkish and Polish national teams in what is shaping up as a simulation of the foes that await in the OQT next week.

“Poland’s No. 15 in the world, so they’re gonna give us a good feel (of the competition). And Turkiye’s No. 24—and they’re much better if their NBA guys show up,” Cone said. “It should be a great indication [of our capabilities] by the time we get to Riga.

“We’re just trying to get our game right. We don’t care if we win or we lose,” he added.

“They’re friendlies, so we’re not going to go in-depth in terms of scouting or trying to understand what they’re trying to do. We’re locked [in on] Latvia, we’re locked [in on] Georgia.”

Gilas is slotted with the world No. 6 Latvians and No. 23 Georgians in the Riga meet where one of the last four tickets to the Summer Olympic Games in Paris is at stake.

“[It’s] gonna be a tough task for us,” naturalized ace Justin Brownlee said of the remaining friendlies. “I think it’s great for our preparation for Latvia and Georgia and whoever we may meet in the qualifiers … and it’s gonna be a test—and—kind of measure what we have.”

Grounded by injuries

The pair of tuneup games will indeed be an accounting of sorts for Gilas, which brought only 11 players as AJ Edu, Jamie Malonzo, and Scottie Thompson have been grounded by injuries.

June Mar Fajardo, who missed the previous Gilas tour, has been reactivated for the OQT. Many-time skipper Japeth Aguilar has been reeled back into service, while Ateneo standout Mason Amos comes in as a late addition for the Filipinos.

“The idea is if we need somebody, we’ll go get them. We got Japeth, we got Mason. The thing with Scottie happened so late. [W]e just couldn’t get somebody for him,” Cone said.

“Again, we didn’t really feel we needed anybody for him at this point.

This is just the style that I want to do, and we came into this with eyes wide open and we knew this might happen. But also, if you remember the last window, we only had 10 players. Jamie didn’t play. June Mar didn’t play. AJ didn’t play. we only had Japeth as the sub,” he added.

“Going with 10, 11 guys? Not a problem for us.”

Program fixture Dwight Ramos couldn’t agree more.



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“You only need five players on the court,” he said. “So 11’s good enough.” INQ

NBA: Cavs hiring Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson as next coach

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FILE – Brooklyn Nets coach Kenny Atkinson watches during the first half of the team’s NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards, Feb. 1, 2020, in Washington. The Cleveland Cavaliers are hiring Golden State assistant Kenny Atkinson as their new coach, a person familiar with decision told the Associated Press on Monday, June 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)

CLEVELAND — Just days ahead of the NBA draft, the Cavaliers picked their coach.

Kenny Atkinson, an assistant with Golden State who helped Brooklyn rebuild before a puzzling departure, will be Cleveland’s new coach, a person familiar with decision told The Associated Press on Monday.

The Cavs have been looking for a new leader for their young team since firing J.B. Bickerstaff last month despite two straight playoff appearances and continued progress.

The sides have agreed on a deal and are working through details of Atkinson’s contract, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team is not discussing its search publicly.

ESPN.com was first to report Atkinson is heading to Cleveland.

READ: NBA: Bucks receive permission to interview Kenny Atkinson

It’s possible there could be a minor delay in the Cavs officially announcing Atkinson’s hire. He joined the French national team’s staff as an assistant to coach Vincent Collet late last year and is currently in Paris preparing for the Olympics.

Atkinson spent the past three seasons as Steven Kerr’s top assistant with the Warriors. In 2022, Atkinson accepted Charlotte’s coaching job but backed out a week after agreeing to a four-year contract.

Atkinson’s hiring ends an expansive search by the Cavs’ front office. Atkinson was one of at least six known candidates to interview with the team since Bickerstaff’s firing on May 23 — a week after Cleveland was eliminated from the playoffs in five games by the eventual champion Boston Celtics.

The 57-year-old Atkinson checked all the boxes in what the Cavs were looking for: head coaching experience, offensive-minded and a strong reputation for player development.

He emerged as the choice by Cleveland vice president of basketball operations Koby Altman and general manager Mike Gansey last week. Atkinson then met with team chairman Dan Gilbert, who signed off on the Cavs’ first coaching hire in five years.

READ: NBA: Kenny Atkinson spurs Hornets to stay with Warriors

Atkinson went 118-190 in his three-plus seasons with the Nets, overseeing their rise from the lower tier of the Eastern Conference to a playoff berth in 2019. It appeared he might be with Brooklyn for an extended period following the additions of superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but had a surprising split from the franchise in 2020.

Atkinson’s parting was a major surprise given the team’s growth under his guidance. After leaving, he spent one season on the Los Angeles Clippers’ staff before going to Golden State.

With the Warriors, Atkinson got to see one of the league’s best offensive players in Stephen Curry and immersed himself in a dynamic offense system he’s certain to borrow from with Cleveland.

One of the knocks on Bickerstaff was his inability to improve Cleveland’s offense. Still, he went 170-159 in the regular season while guiding the Cavs back to relevance through a rebuild that began in 2018 when LeBron James left as a free agent.

Bickerstaff, who replaced John Beilein midway through the 2019-20 season, kept Cleveland among the top teams in the East this season despite a slew of injuries and Cleveland advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs without James on its roster for the first time since 1994.

Atkinson, who got his NBA coaching start as an assistant on Mike D’Antoni’s staff with the New York Knicks in 2008, has some connections on the Cavs after working with center Jarrett Allen and forward Caris LeVert while in Brooklyn.

Hiring a new coach was the first priority in a pivotal summer for the Cavs. Next is getting All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell to accept a long-term contract extension, this week’s draft (Cleveland has the No. 20 overall pick) and perhaps retooling the roster with trades and in free agency.

After the Cavs were knocked out of the playoffs, Altman said the team needed a coach who could bring new ideas and a fresh approach to get the most from the team’s core of players — Mitchell, Allen, guard Darius Garland and forward Evan Mobley.



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Atkinson will get the next shot.