Cade Cunningham Diary

Cade Cunningham diary: ‘I was kind of pressing too hard, trying to get acclimated’

The No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA draft reflects on the Pistons’ recent play, the holiday season and his daughter’s upcoming birthday

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    Miami Heat v Detroit Pistons
    Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons stands for the national anthem before a game against the Miami Heat on Dec. 19 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images
    By Cade Cunningham, as told to Marc J. Spears

    The Undefeated has previously produced NBA diaries with Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, former NBA star and dunk champion Vince Carter, Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young, Warriors center James Wiseman, Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet, Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox and Detroit Pistons guard Josh Jackson. This season features a diary with Cade Cunningham, the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA draft by the Pistons.

    Through the course of this diary, the 20-year-old will take the reader through the triumphs, challenges and fun that come with being the top pick on and off the court. Not only is the Arlington, Texas, native a potential NBA star, but he is also the father of a soon-to-be 3-year-old daughter.

    The former Oklahoma State star spoke with The Undefeated for his third diary entry on Tuesday morning, two days before he became one of nearly 100 players to enter the NBA’s COVID protocols. Cunningham reflected on playing better of late – he’s averaging 17.9 points, 6.2 assists and 5.7 rebounds while shooting 40.4% from 3-point range in December – the holidays, his daughter’s upcoming birthday, and yes, COVID-19.

    ‘There’s no feeling like losing’

    More than anything in terms of the key to my play now was, it was just time to let go. I haven’t been holding onto all the emotions of not playing as well as I did early on or just losing games. I just decided I was going to let it go and just play free. Play the game that I love. Try to have fun with it. That’s the main thing.

    At first, I was kind of pressing too hard, trying to get acclimated. But now I’m comfortable. I’m in my groove now, so it’s all good. The breakthrough moment that I really needed was the Portland game. Just being able to feel that feeling of shooting the ball and you knowing that all of them were going in. Through most of this time, once I went to college, I had a really good feel on the ball. But, when I first got to the Pistons and got hurt, that feel was different for me. After that Portland game, I was able to knock down some shots, things like that. That was the turning point.

    It’s tough, obviously, losing Jerami because he was a huge part of our team. I went to take that on my shoulders, and I knew that I’d have to step up. It’s a new role for me, but I’m excited to be in that role. That 14-game losing streak we just had was definitely different. It really tests you mentally more than anything, just being able to come back in the next day locked in and go back out there and try to win.

    It was definitely tough, but we stuck together. We tried to keep our spirits high, we tried to come out and play hard every night. There’s no feeling like losing. We had that sour taste in our mouths for a while, so to get a win felt good. And now, it’s about building onto that.

    The high amount of players getting COVID is definitely scary. You got to protect yourself from it. The new omicron variant, you see it in the league now. I’m not trying to miss any games. I just try to keep that mask on, know who I’m around and just be smart about when I move around and go outside in public.

    We haven’t actually been bringing in new guys or anything like that to fill roster spots. We haven’t had any cases. I’ve been hearing about the [COVID-19] issues in Michigan. So, that’s just more reasons to keep the mask on, stay inside and know who you’re around.

    I met Kevin Durant in high school, actually. We’ve been in contact since then. I talked to him through college. Being able to play against him recently was supercool. To have somebody like that as somebody that I can holler at is supercool. He told me, ‘More than anything, just keep working.’ He’s a real-life gym rat. A lot of times you hear, ‘Keep working.’ It’s almost like, ‘How are you?’ and people say, ‘Good.’

    Everybody kind of says, ‘Keep working.’ But he is more serious about it and [it’s] why he has got to the point where he’s at. That’s just something that I’m trying to do and see that in my game.

    ‘She’s superyoung, but she’s pretty understanding’

    We leave on Christmas Day to go to San Antonio and play the next day. My family was out in Detroit recently. After San Antonio, we go home for two days. I just have everybody come out there to Detroit to celebrate Christmas in early January when we have another home stretch.

    I won’t see my daughter on Christmas because we will be flying, but I will FaceTime her. That is tough. I wish I was there for all of these early moments, holidays and things like that. I wish I could see the excitement on her face for her presents, and things like that. She’s superyoung, but she’s pretty understanding. She knows what’s going on. It just gives me extra motivation to know that I got to make these sacrifices now. But I’m doing it for what is best for the fam and to provide, more than anything.

    I got my daughter a bunch of stuff online for Christmas. A bunch of dolls. Got her a little scooter. A pogo stick. I got all types of stuff for her around the crib. I just moved into my house in Detroit, so she didn’t really have anything to play with at my house. Now she’s going to be straight, for sure … I’m just excited for the holidays.

    For real, man. This is one of my favorite times of the year, so I’m excited. My daughter’s birthday’s coming up. It’s right after Christmas, so we got a couple holidays back to back. It’ll be fun. It’s a good time. Dec. 29. I got to load her up. Got to do that.

    I set goals for myself, for sure. All the time. I don’t just set them as a resolution on New Year’s. But I set new goals throughout the year and give them deadlines on when I need to accomplish some of the things like that. On the court, I just want to be better defensively and take care of the ball. Those two things will help me out a whole lot.

    Then off-court, being a better teammate, better communicator as far as texting and calling, stuff like that. Then just being the best father I can be, best brother, best son.

    Marc J. Spears is the senior NBA writer for The Undefeated. He used to be able to dunk on you, but he hasn’t been able to in years and his knees still hurt.

    This Story Tagged: NBA Detroit Pistons Cade Cunningham Diary Cade Cunningham
    Commentary

    Tiger Woods at the PNC Championship was about more than golf

    Woods’ appearance with his son Charlie symbolized the transference of his love of the game, a love that was passed to him from his own father

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      PNC Championship – Final Round
      Tiger Woods (left) and Charlie Woods (right) celebrate a birdie on the 13th hole during the final round of the PNC Championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Grande Lakes on Dec. 19 in Orlando, Florida. Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
      By

      At the PNC Championship, a team event that pairs a former major champion with one of his family members, Tiger Woods played with his 12-year-old son Charlie for the second consecutive year.

      On Sunday, the Woods team, who wore Woods’ customary final-round red shirt and black pants, birdied 11 of their last 12 holes in the two-man scramble format to shoot a 15-under-par 57 to finish second, two shots behind the winners, John Daly and John Daly II.

      Ten months after sustaining major leg injuries in a single-car accident in the Los Angeles area that threatened to end his career, here was Woods at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando, Florida, grinding with the same intensity that led him to 15 major championships.

      “To push as hard as we have the last seven months, with taking no days off and just working our butts off each and every day, and to have this opportunity to be able to play with my son and to have these memories, for us, for both of us for our lifetime, it’s worth all of the pain,” Woods said.

      As much as Woods’ stellar performance in Orlando represents hope that he may return to world-class form after the devastating car accident in February, his appearance with his son also symbolized the transference of his love of the game, a love that was passed to him from his own father, Earl.

      To watch Charlie play golf is to witness a young player who has had every conceivable advantage to succeed at the game, from his textbook swing to cultivated mannerisms on the course. He is his father’s child: precocious, athletic, determined and very competitive. Yet he is also his late grandfather’s child. Earl Woods, who died in 2006 at the age of 74, was an African American man who willed a future for his son that was almost unimaginable for a Black child of his generation in a segregated America.

      Charlie is the fruit of Earl Woods’ labors for his son. There were three generations of Woods men on display in Orlando. From Earl’s birth in 1932 to Tiger’s in 1975 to Charlie’s in 2009, opportunities for Black men have grown significantly, even as they are continually under assault by different factions of society. It is through those generational turns and twists that we often mark progress and judge the past against the present and future.

      Even as the entire focus of the PNC Championship seemed to evolve around Woods’ health and future on the PGA Tour, Charlie forced his way into the limelight with several clutch shots and putts over the 36-hole tournament. “I’m not his coach,” Woods said of Charlie before the tournament. “I’m his father. And so if he wants to learn about the game of golf, he’ll ask. I’m there as a sounding board.”

      This is a parenting lesson that Woods learned from Earl Woods, who could be counted on for providing particularly sound putting advice, but he never tried to be his son’s swing instructor. Arguably, the lessons Woods embodied most from his father were of the perseverance and hard work that arose from being a Black man in America and his tours during the Vietnam War as an Army officer.

      Charlie may learn these lessons in a different way than Woods learned from his father because of generational gaps, but the lessons are no less real and important.

      King Richard, actor Will Smith’s take on Richard Williams, the father of tennis greats Venus and Serena Williams, is a reminder of what is at stake for Black men like him and Earl Woods, who dare to nurture athletes in predominantly white sports such as golf and tennis. There is not a scene in the movie that doesn’t yield some broader lesson about race in America and the Black family. It’s captivating to see Richard Williams’ orchestration of the early development of Venus and Serena.

      The portrayal of Richard Williams by Smith celebrates Black fatherhood with all of its struggles and imperfections. Earl Woods provided his own version of Black fatherhood in his 1997 book, Training a Tiger: A Father’s Guide to Raising a Winner in Both Golf and Life. He would teach his son how to combat racism with his golf clubs.

      At the PNC Championship, we couldn’t see all the complexity of Woods’ relationship with Charlie, but it is apparent from their interactions that they have a deep bond around golf.

      Because of his leg injuries, Woods rode in a cart during the tournament. Not being able to walk side by side with his son down the fairways was one of the qualities that he said he missed most about playing in the tournament.

      On Sunday night, he said that he was not yet prepared to compete with the best players in the world. “I’m not at that level,” said Woods, who turns 46 on Dec. 30. “It’s going to take a lot of work to get to where I feel like I can compete with these guys and be at a high level.”

      It will not take a herculean effort for Woods to win a PNC Championship soon with Charlie, who will turn 13 in February. When Woods was that age, he was already famous and one of the best junior players in the world. His future was seemingly assured. Charlie has a long road to becoming a successful PGA Tour player if that’s the journey that he ultimately wants to take with his life.

      Hardly anyone in the golf world is ready to concede that his dad will not make another heroic comeback and win more major championships. Regardless of Woods’ next milestone in the game, though, he’s already passed the torch to his son, smoothing the way for other fathers to shine a light on their sons through the game of golf.

      Farrell Evans has written about the intersection of golf and race for Sports Illustrated, Golf Magazine, ESPN.COM, Bleacher Report and The National. He is the co-host with PGA Tour veteran Bo Van Pelt of Both Sides of the Ball, a podcast that raises conversations about golf, culture and everything in between.

      This Story Tagged: Commentary Golf Tiger Woods
      NBA

      G League Ignite provides ‘a good environment’ for NBA prospects

      The Ignite allows selected teenage stars to get paid and play a season of developmental basketball in preparation for the draft once eligible

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        2021-22 Team Ignite Practice in Walnut Creek
        Jaden Hardy, 19, of Team Ignite, was ranked second overall in ESPN 100’s Class of 2021 and is a projected Top 5 pick in the 2022 NBA draft. Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images
        Marc J. Spears By @MarcJSpears

        WALNUT CREEK, Calif. – Generation Z has a reputation for experiencing FOMO (fear of missing out). The teenagers playing for the G League Ignite certainly could be at risk of FOMO as they are missing out on playing for big colleges and enjoying the college life and a brighter spotlight. 

        But with an eye on the NBA, the young men of the Ignite collectively say there is no such issue among them.

        “It’s been a good environment, learning every day and learning from the vets,” Ignite guard Jaden Hardy, 19, told The Undefeated. “Am I having FOMO about college? Not really. I’m a pro now. I approach the game different now. I’m here to work, get better every day and be the best version of myself.

        “I’m not really focused on those guys in college. I’m playing against guys who have been in the NBA that are coming down to the G League and going back up. I’d rather watch the NBA because I’m going to be playing against them very soon.”

        Said Ignite guard Sterling “Scoot” Henderson: “I wouldn’t say I’m happy. I’m ecstatic. I can see myself developing every day.”

        It’s all part of the plan for the Ignite, which is participating in this week’s G League Winter Showcase in Las Vegas, an eight-team tournament that runs through Wednesday and serves as an in-season scouting opportunity for NBA teams.

        The NBA started the G League Ignite program on April 16, 2020, and the team debuted during the 2020-2021 season. The Ignite allows selected teenage stars to forgo college basketball and get paid during a season of developmental basketball and limited G League games in preparation for the NBA draft once eligible. These teenagers are likely paid in the range of $125,000 to $500,000, playing with veteran players and have a coaching staff and environment with NBA ties and direction.

        The 2020-21 G League Ignite roster was highlighted by its first major commitment in heralded guard Jalen Green, who was ranked as the No. 1 prep player by ESPN in the Class of 2020 and was given a salary of about $500,000. Other notable American teenage additions who also turned down going to college for the Ignite included forward Jonathan Kuminga, forward Isaiah Todd and guard Daishen Nix.

        The Ignite games were often televised, but not in a grand scale like the games for heralded college freshman such as Cade Cunningham, Jalen Suggs and Evan Mobley. Moreover, due to the pandemic, the Ignite’s 17 games were played last season without fans in a bubble at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

        “I talked to Isaiah Todd and J.K. [Kuminga] and they both said it was great and loved it although they were in the bubble the whole time,” Henderson said. “The skill development part and the basketball experience was great.”

        The Ignite solidified itself as a viable path to the NBA during the draft. Green was selected with the second overall pick by the Houston Rockets. Kuminga was selected seventh overall by the Golden State Warriors. Todd was selected by the Washington Wizards in the second round (31st overall) and has played in five games. Nix went undrafted, but signed a two-way contract with the Houston Rockets.

        Seeing the results for Green, Kuminga and Todd made the Ignite a more attractive option for the next class.

        “I talked to Jalen and Kuminga before I came out here,” Hardy said. “They said they really enjoyed their experience. They told me to ‘just go out there and handle your business and do what you do. You already know you got the tools. Just work.’ ”

        Said Ignite power forward Michael Foster Jr.: “Seeing them made my decision easier. I loved what they did with Kuminga and Todd. They’re my positions. And they went high as draft picks.”

        The Ignite arrived to training camp this time around with a new head coach in former NBA guard and USC assistant coach Jason Hart. Hart replaced former NBA head coach Brian Shaw, who took a job as an assistant coach with the LA Clippers. The Ignite returned to Walnut Creek as their home base, but their home games are being played in Las Vegas. The Ignite are also quietly recruiting future prospects and bringing them in for official visits just like colleges do.

        The Ignite landed another elite class for its roster this season, too. Hardy, 19, was ranked second overall in ESPN 100’s Class of 2021 and projected Top 5 pick in the 2022 NBA draft. Foster, 18, was ranked ninth overall in ESPN’s 100 Class of 2021 and is a first-round prospect. NBA scouts have told The Undefeated that they have growing interest in the Ignite’s Australian guard Dyson Daniels, 18. China is also hoping to get its next NBA player in forward Fanbo Zeng, 18. Former NBA players also on the Ignite roster include Eugene “Pooh” Jeter, CJ Miles, Amir Johnson and Kostas Koufos.

        “This route is the best development for me on and off the court,” Daniels said. “We have veterans that have already done their [NBA] careers and are here to help us. They talk us through what we need to be better at. There are really good coaches in place.”

        Said Foster: “It’s been great. I’m getting better every day. I like the coaching. If anything, it’s a step forward. The practices. The [defensive] rotations. The plays. The physicalness. You need it.”

        Scoot Henderson of Team Ignite participates in an NBA G League practice and scrimmage on Sept. 15 at Ultimate Fieldhouse in Walnut Creek, California.

        Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images

        Perhaps the most intriguing of all the Ignite young stars is the 17-year-old Henderson, who is eligible for the 2023 NBA draft.

        Henderson departed from his final two years of high school at Kell High School in Marietta, Georgia, to sign a $1 million deal with the Ignite. The five-star prospect was the first high school junior to commit to the Ignite and is the first player signed who is not NBA draft-eligible the next year.

        Age has been nothing but a number for Henderson, who averaged 13.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 23.8 minutes per contest this season. He added that Jeter, a former Sacramento Kings guard, has been a great mentor for him.

        So does Henderson feel like he is missing out on going to high school, prom, homecoming, graduation, etc.?

        “I feel like I moved past all that, honestly,” Henderson said. “I wasn’t into all that stuff. I have one goal. Everything else can wait. People that were going to prom are going to be there.”

        Off the court, The Ignite also keep tabs on their young players as best as possible.

        The Ignite players all live in a luxury apartment complex in Walnut Creek and stay at the same hotel when in Las Vegas or on other trips. Ignite security guard Dwight Pruitt, who previously worked with the Warriors, and operations manager Monique Stansell both live in the same Walnut Creek apartment complex. The entire team of players, coaches and other staff members keep in contact on a text chain. The players are able to hang out together and with family members and loved ones within the guidelines of the NBA’s COVID-19 protocols (fully vaccinated players don’t have to test regularly).

        The Ignite players recently took part in a community service event in Concord, Calif. The younger players also take part in life skills training that includes media training, nutrition, financial literacy, mental wellness and more.

        “Off the court, we have every resource we need,” Daniels said. “We have nutritionists. We learn about our bodies. And all-round lifestyle information we learn with the G League.”

        Said Hart: “We come here to the gym from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. We are with them for the most part. They really can’t go a lot of places. We see them for dinner. We are with them 10-12 hours a day. The other time they don’t need to see the coaches. We know what they’re doing every day and their movements.”

        During this week’s showcase in Las Vegas, there will be NBA team presidents, general managers and scouts there to watch every game. Hart will make a point to start four young players and one veteran to ensure the young players get seen, which potentially raises their draft profile and stock.

        So with their eyes on the NBA prize and the learning and playing environment, it makes sense as to why these Ignite youngsters do not have any regrets.

        “I love the experience,” Daniels said. “Every game it gets better and better. I’m learning a lot from my teammates and coaches. Every game I’m seeing development …

        “I’m very happy with my opportunity to come here. If I had an opportunity to choose again, I’d still choose to come here.”

        Said Foster: “I took the G League because I felt I needed to be a step ahead of everybody else.”

        Marc J. Spears is the senior NBA writer for The Undefeated. He used to be able to dunk on you, but he hasn’t been able to in years and his knees still hurt.

        This Story Tagged: NBA NBA G League G League Ignite G League
        NBA

        J.B. Bickerstaff finding his groove with surprising Cavaliers

        ‘They’re playing hard for J.B. … If a team plays hard, generally it means a coach is making an impact and making a connection with that group.’

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          Cleveland Cavaliers v Charlotte Hornets
          Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff looks on during a game against the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center on Nov. 1 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images
          By @BransonWright

          The five characteristics — Details. Toughness. Together. Compete. 1 More — plastered across the weight room wall at the Cleveland Cavaliers practice facility are more than affirmations or mere slogans for head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, his players and his staff.

          “It’s what we live by every day,” Bickerstaff said. “They’re a combination of things that I thought were important to building a team. It’s also characteristic of our city, and about living it, so we’ll earn the respect of our fan base.”

          Those statements helped mold and rally the Cavaliers (18-12) into not only one of the NBA’s surprise teams, but one of the best in the Eastern Conference — built on an elite defense and an entertaining brand of basketball of fast breaks, alley-oops and unselfish ball movement.

          This season’s start — they’ve won five straight games by an average of 16.8 points — is maybe even more shocking because the Cavs had only won 60 total games in the last three seasons since LeBron James departed for the Los Angeles Lakers. Entering this season, there were questions about how the Cavaliers’ rookies and other new additions would mesh.

          There were also questions about Bickerstaff, an NBA coach’s son, who was continually bypassed for head-coaching jobs and often found himself filling in as an interim, holding the clipboard until a permanent head coach was hired.

          Bickerstaff, 42, is making his presence known. 

          “They’re playing hard for J.B.,” Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr told The Undefeated. “A true measure of how well a coach is doing is how well his team is playing. If a team plays hard, generally it means a coach is making an impact and making a connection with that group.”

          Milwaukee Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer agrees. 

          “They’re a good team,” said Budenholzer after a recent victory over the Cavs. “J.B. Bickerstaff’s doing a good job of coaching them.”

          Bickerstaff’s dad, Bernie, began his NBA head-coaching career with the Seattle SuperSonics in 1985. Bernie’s coaching life always involved his sons, J.B. and older brother Bernard. The two were mainstays as the team’s ball boys.

          “I always make the joke about when kids grow up and go to day care or after-school programs, we instead went to basketball practice,” Bickerstaff said of himself and his brother. “It’s like those Baker Mayfield [Progressive] commercials where the arena is his house. That’s what it was like for me and my brother.”

          Bickerstaff has vivid memories of running around the arena with his brother, running errands for NBA players, watching NBA legends during games and dreaming about possibilities.

          “I was fortunate because I never had to look outside of my house for role models,” he said. “My mom was a schoolteacher and my dad a coach. Those are the two people I admired growing up. So my thoughts were to play in the NBA and then become a coach.”

          Perhaps an early sign of Bickerstaff’s passion was on display following the 1987 Western Conference finals between his dad’s SuperSonics and the Lakers, with legends Magic Johnson, James Worthy and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Lakers led the series 3-0 and held a huge lead in Game 4 before finishing the sweep. An 8-year-old J.B., while sitting on the court at the end of the bench, took the loss hard.

          “I was bawling because it was too much for me,” Bickerstaff said. “I considered those players family and I knew even at that age how making the Finals would be a crowning achievement for my dad. That loss was too much.”

          Visions of those tears remain tough for Bernie Bickerstaff to erase.

          “That still sticks with me to see your kid that involved,” he said. “Obviously, he was so much into it that he felt bad for the team. He learned to have loyalty to those whom you work with.”

          Bickerstaff would go on to play college basketball at Oregon State and Minnesota. Injuries stalled his aspirations for a professional playing career, but it jump-started his coaching career.

          After three years as an assistant under his dad with the then-Charlotte Bobcats, Bickerstaff spent four years with the Minnesota Timberwolves, joined the Houston Rockets as an assistant in 2011 and was made interim coach four years later.

          Bickerstaff left the Rockets for the Memphis Grizzlies the following season as associate head coach and was promoted to interim coach in fall 2017 after David Fizdale was fired. The Grizzlies named him head coach the following season, but he was fired in April 2019.

          Bickerstaff joined the Cavs in May 2019 as an associate head coach. He became head coach in February 2020 after John Beilein resigned.

          Bernie’s most proud of his son’s perseverance.

          “He’s had some tough times, and he’s been in some tough situations,” said Bernie Bickerstaff, a senior adviser with the Cavaliers. “But he’s handled it professionally. And I’m impressed that when things are tough, he doesn’t give in and keeps fighting.”

          Bickerstaff’s resolve is on display through a squad molded after his philosophical image. In the analytical world of “small ball” and a barrage of 3-point bombs, Bickerstaff starts three big men — Jarrett Allen (6-feet-11), Evan Mobley (7 feet) and Lauri Markkanen (7 feet) — who provide an imposing presence, especially on defense. The Cavaliers are second in the league in defensive rating (103.6) and points allowed (101.9).

          “When you see that size play together, it makes it difficult on your opponents,” Bickerstaff said. “Evan and Jarrett are elite rim protectors, and it makes it hard for the opponent to score. And, offensively, those guys have enough ball skills to space the floor. We’ve found an advantage in going the opposite of where the league is trending.”

          Allen averages 17.3 points, 11.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. He’s long and has the strength and agility to play inside and out.

          Mobley, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft, is a front-runner for rookie of the year. He’s among the league leaders in blocks, and his ability to defend guards on switches is a major bonus.

          Markkanen, acquired from Chicago in a three-team trade in the offseason, plays small forward for the first time in his five-year career. He may not have the speed of most small forwards, but his length causes the opposition trouble.

          Guard Isaac Okoro’s defense was on display recently against Minnesota, where he held dynamo Anthony Edwards to eight points below his average.

          Ricky Rubio, acquired in the offseason, has stabilized the offense off the bench and provides guidance for third-year point guard Darius Garland, the team’s leading scorer. 

          Bickerstaff is all too familiar with the big lineups his dad’s teams faced in the ’80s, so what he’s doing now with the Cavs isn’t new.

          “Those Celtics and Lakers teams with [Larry] Bird and Magic had a bunch of size, but they were extremely skilled,” Bickerstaff said. “I’m not comparing my guys to them, but we feel we have some really skilled guys. Size with skill will beat small all day.”

          Five-time All-Star Kevin Love now comes off the bench, providing an offensive spark, and is playing the best defense of his career. He’s also been a mouthpiece for Bickerstaff to the younger players. The two go back to when Love entered the league with Minnesota. He’s familiar with Bickerstaff’s ways, which are reflected on the weight room walls.

          “Those words are our ‘isms’ we live by,” Love said. “Whenever we come out of a break, we come out using one of those words. My favorite is ‘Details,’ because it’s those little things a young team needs to pay attention to, to find a way to win. Those five words characterize us as a team.”

          Branson Wright is a filmmaker and freelance multimedia sports reporter.

          This Story Tagged: NBA Cleveland Cavaliers J.B. Bickerstaff Black Coaches