* Photo Credit:
– “J.B. Bickerstaff” by Erik Drost is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Article by Darayus Sethna
On Wednesday, April 8th, I had the tremendous opportunity of listening to the Cleveland Cavaliers’s head coach, J.B. Bickerstaff, and learning about how he is not only dealing with the struggles of staying home due to Coronavirus concerns, however also his thoughts on the progression of this new team. And for someone who has only been head coach for one month, Bickerstaff definitely had a great deal of news and knowledge to bring to his audience.
I was able to listen to Coach Bickerstaff via a conference call on Zoom. It was a conversation between himself and Cavs television broadcaster, John Michael. Since my family participates in the Wine and Gold United club with the Cavs, we were able to access this exclusive conversation with Mr. Michael and Coach Bickerstaff. During the conference call itself, Bickerstaff alluded to some monumental points on how significant it is for his team to still interact with one another during these times of “social distancing”:
“We want to make sure we stay in contact… Our guys are self motivated.”
Bickerstaff also mentioned the specific aspects on improving this current Cavaliers roster, and how the culture of both the front office and organization as a whole is critical to the teams’ future:
“It is athleticism along with skill… Our responsibility is to keep improving… Our focus is building a foundation.”
As you would assume, there were many questions from fans that were directed towards Bickerstaff, and some of them even mentioned his personal life; more specifically, how he handles the struggles of constantly traveling across the country with an NBA team day in and day out. He also provided his perspective on dealing with these obstacles:
“The biggest challenge is handling the time… Have structure in your day because it will help you be more consistent and you will know what to expect.”
Luckily, I was also thrilled when Mr. Michael asked Coach Bickerstaff the question I had submitted on the Cavs’s website a few days prior to the conference call. More specifically, my question consisted of guard Matthew Dellavedova. Ever since about February 26th of this year, Dellavedova’s playing time per game with Cleveland had increased by almost 25 minutes, and it seemed he had created an influential and positive environment for his younger teammates. My objective was to hear what Bickerstaff further had to explain based on this analysis:
“He (Dellavedova) is a guy who is always prepared… He is the type of guy who does whatever the team needs him to do… All it was was show up, work, and help the team.”
Cardinal James Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore from 1877 to 1921, once stated “There are no office hours for leaders.” This perfectly demonstrates J.B. Bickerstaff’s role as current head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Although I did not participate in the conversation with the two gentlemen, I learned a great deal about the significance of how any NBA head coach must conduct his team not only during the 82 grind of a regular season, yet also during these unprecedented times we as a society are facing now. It is vital for a coach, no matter what league, sport, or level, to consistently demonstrate a sense of passion and commitment towards their players on a twelve month cycle.
But we all know that this is bigger than basketball. We cannot just listen to the words of Bickerstaff and learn about his efforts that bring his team together during this rough time. It is our responsibility as a society to emulate the actions of the Cavs’s new head coach, and grow as a team of our own.
* To access the “Cleveland Sports Show” podcast and my other work, please visit darayus.news, where you will be able to view my “Twitter” account (@NordoniaSports) as well as my “SoundCloud” Channel.
* You can also locate my “Spotify” Channel by typing in “The Cleveland Sports Show” or “Darayus Sethna” in the “Spotify” search bar.
Editor’s note:
Darayus Sethna is 17 years old and is a Junior at Nordonia High School. He is a major Cavs fan and enjoys watching the NBA. He is part of the Nordonia High School Digital Journalism and Sports Broadcasting Club and hopes to become an NBA color analyst one day.
