List of Cleveland Cavaliers head coaches

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The Cleveland Cavaliers are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers play in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team joined the NBA in 1970 as an expansion team and won their first Eastern Conference championship in 2007. [1] The Cavaliers have played their home games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, formerly known as Quicken Loans Arena and Gund Arena, since 1994. [2] The Cavaliers are owned by Dan Gilbert, with Koby Altman as their general manager. [3] American R&B-pop singer Usher Raymond is a minority owner. [4]

Contents

There have been 24  head coaches for the Cavaliers franchise. The current head coach is Kenny Atkinson. The franchise's first head coach was Bill Fitch, who coached for nine seasons. Fitch is the franchise's all-time leader for the most regular-season games coached (738); [5] Lenny Wilkens is the franchise's all-time leader for the most regular-season game wins (316); Mike Brown is the franchise's all-time leader for the most playoff games coached (71) and the most playoff game wins (42). David Blatt has the highest regular-season winning percentage (.675) and the highest playoff winning percentage (.700). Tyronn Lue is the only coach to lead the Cavaliers to an NBA championship, in 2016. Chuck Daly, Wilkens and Fitch have been elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame as head coaches, partly due to their work with the Cavaliers. [6] [7] Fitch, Daly and Wilkens were also named as 3 of the top 10 coaches in NBA history. [8] Fitch and Brown are the only Cavaliers coaches to have won the NBA Coach of the Year Award. [9]

Key

GCGames coached
WWins
LLosses
Win% Winning percentage
#Number of coaches [a]
*Spent entire NBA head coaching career with the Cavaliers
†Elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach

Coaches

Note: Statistics are correct through the end of the 2023–24 season.

#NameTerm [b] GCWLWin%GCWLWin%AchievementsReference
Regular seasonPlayoffs
Bill Fitch † 1970–1979 738304434.41218711.389 1975–76 NBA Coach of the Year [9]
One of the top 10 coaches in NBA history [8] 		[5]
Stan Albeck 1979–1980 823745.451———— [10]
Bill Musselman 1980–1981 712546.352———— [11]
Don Delaney * [12] 1981 26719.269———— [13]
Bob Kloppenburg [14] 1981 303.000———— [15]
Chuck Daly † [16] 1981–1982 41932.220————One of the top 10 coaches in NBA history [8] [7]
Bill Musselman [17] 1982 23221.087———— [11]
Tom Nissalke 1982–1984 16451113.311———— [18]
George Karl † 1984–1986 1496188.409413.250 [19]
Gene Littles [20] 1986 15411.267———— [21]
Lenny Wilkens † 1986–1993 574316258.551411823.439One of the top 10 coaches in NBA history [8] [6]
Mike Fratello 1993–1999 460248212.53914212.143 [22]
Randy Wittman 1999–2001 16462102.378———— [23]
John Lucas II 2001–2003 1243787.298———— [24]
Keith Smart [25] 2003 40931.225———— [26]
Paul Silas 2003–2005 1466977.473———— [27]
Brendan Malone [28] 2005 18810.444———— [29]
Mike Brown 2005–2010 410272138.663714229.592 Eastern Conference championship (2007) [1]
2008–09 NBA Coach of the Year [9] 		[30]
Byron Scott 2010–2013 23064166.278———— [31]
Mike Brown 2013–2014 823349.402———— [30]
David Blatt * 2014–2016 1138340.67520146.700Eastern Conference championship (2015)
Tyronn Lue [32] 2016–2018 21112883.607614120.672 NBA championship (2016)
Three Eastern Conference championships (2016–2018)
2016 ESPY Award for Best Coach/Manager		 [33]
Larry Drew [34] 2018–2019 761957.250————
John Beilein * 2019–2020 541440.259————
J. B. Bickerstaff [35] 2020–2024 329170159.51717611.353 [36]
Kenny Atkinson 2024–present000—————

Notes

Related Research Articles

William Charles Fitch was an American professional basketball coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He developed multiple teams into playoff contenders and won an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics in 1981. Before entering the professional ranks, he coached college basketball at the University of Minnesota, Bowling Green State University, the University of North Dakota, and his alma mater, Coe College. Fitch's teams twice qualified for the NCAA tournament. He won the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013, and was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019. Christopher Gerhman portrayed him in Winning Time.

The National Basketball Association's Coach of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1962–63 NBA season. The winner receives the Red Auerbach Trophy, which is named in honor of the head coach who led the Boston Celtics to nine NBA championships from 1956 to 1966. The winner is selected at the end of the regular season by a panel of sportswriters from the United States and Canada, each of whom casts a vote for first, second and third place selections. Each first-place vote is worth five points; each second-place vote is worth three points; and each third-place vote is worth one point. The person with the highest point total, regardless of the number of first-place votes, wins the award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lenny Wilkens</span> American basketball player and coach

Leonard Randolph Wilkens is an American former basketball player and coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been inducted three times into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, first in 1989 as a player, as a coach in 1998, and in 2010 as part of the 1992 United States Olympic "Dream Team" for which he was an assistant coach. In 1996, Wilkens was named to the NBA 50th Anniversary Team, and in 2021 he was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. In addition, in 2022 he was also named to the list of the 15 Greatest Coaches in NBA History, being the only person to be in both NBA 75th season celebration list as player and coach. He is also a 2006 inductee into the College Basketball Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith Bogans</span> American basketball player (born 1980)

Keith Ramon Bogans is an American former basketball player who last served as an assistant coach for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Kentucky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herb Williams</span> American basketball player (born 1958)

Herbert L. Williams is an American former basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for eighteen seasons from 1981 to 1999. Williams served as the interim head coach and the assistant coach of the NBA's New York Knicks. He was last an assistant coach for the New York Liberty of the WNBA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyronn Lue</span> American basketball player and coach

Tyronn Jamar Lue is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He formerly served as the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, helping them win their first and only NBA title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernie Bickerstaff</span> American basketball coach and executive

Bernard Tyrone Bickerstaff is an American basketball coach and front office executive, currently serving as the Senior Basketball Advisor for the Cleveland Cavaliers. As a coach, he previously worked as the head coach for the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics, Denver Nuggets, Washington Bullets/Wizards, Charlotte Bobcats, and Los Angeles Lakers. He has also been an assistant for the Portland Trail Blazers, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, and Cavaliers. He has served in numerous other NBA front office positions, and has been a consultant for the Harlem Globetrotters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gene Littles</span> American basketball player and coach (1943–2021)

Eugene Scape Littles was an American basketball player and coach. He played six seasons in the American Basketball Association (ABA) for the Carolina Cougars and Kentucky Colonels between 1969 and 1975. Littles won an ABA championship with the Colonels in 1975. He later coached in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Charlotte Hornets, and Denver Nuggets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Drew</span> American basketball player and coach (born 1958)

Larry Donnell Drew is an American professional basketball coach and former player who serves as assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Cleveland Cavaliers</span>

The Cleveland Cavaliers first began play in the NBA in 1970 as an expansion team under the ownership of Nick Mileti. Jerry Tomko, the father of future Major League Baseball pitcher Brett Tomko, submitted the winning entry to name the team the "Cavaliers" through a competition sponsored by The Plain Dealer; supporters preferred it to "Jays", "Foresters" and "Presidents". Playing their home games at Cleveland Arena under the direction of head coach Bill Fitch, they compiled a league-worst 15–67 record in their inaugural season. The team hoped to build around the number one 1971 draft pick Austin Carr, who had set numerous scoring records at Notre Dame, but Carr severely injured his leg shortly into his pro career and never was able to realize his potential.

References

General
Specific
  1. 1 2 "2006-07 Cleveland Cavaliers Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
  2. ↑ "Gund Arena to be renamed Quicken Loans Arena". ESPN.com. August 2, 2005. Archived from the original on April 28, 2006. Retrieved November 29, 2008.
  3. ↑ "Executive Bios and Directory". NBA.com. Cleveland Cavaliers. Archived from the original on July 8, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  4. ↑ Davis, Carolyn E. (February 25, 2005). "Usher About To Become Part-Owner Of Cleveland Cavaliers". MTV. Archived from the original on December 7, 2008. Retrieved November 30, 2008.
  5. 1 2 "Bill Fitch Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 14, 2009. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
  6. 1 2 "Lenny Wilkens Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
  7. 1 2 "Chuck Daly Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Top 10 Coaches in NBA History". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive. Archived from the original on January 19, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2008.
  9. 1 2 3 "Coach of the Year". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on September 15, 2010. Retrieved November 29, 2008.
  10. ↑ "Stan Albeck Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on May 16, 2017. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
  11. 1 2 "Bill Musselman Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on December 20, 2008. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
  12. ↑ Musselman was fired 71 games into the 1980–81 season. Delaney served as interim head coach for the remaining eleven games and the first fifteen games of the 1981–82 season.
  13. ↑ "Don Delaney Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on August 18, 2017. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
  14. ↑ Delaney was fired fifteen games into the 1981–82 season. Kloppenburg served as interim head coach for three games before being fired.
  15. ↑ "Bob Kloppenburg Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on December 24, 2008. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
  16. ↑ Kloppenburg was fired after serving as interim head coach for three games in the 1981–82 season. Daly served as head coach for 41 games before being fired.
  17. ↑ Daly was fired after serving as head coach for 41 games in the 1981–82 season. Musselman served as head coach for the remaining fifteen games.
  18. ↑ "Tom Nissalke Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on March 9, 2011. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
  19. ↑ "George Karl Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on November 24, 2010. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
  20. ↑ Karl was fired 67 games into the 1985–86 season. Littles served as interim head coach for the remaining fifteen games.
  21. ↑ "Gene Littles Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on September 5, 2008. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
  22. ↑ "Mike Fratello Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on August 11, 2011. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
  23. ↑ "Randy Wittman Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on January 18, 2013. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
  24. ↑ "John Lucas Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on March 12, 2011. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
  25. ↑ Lucas was fired 42 games into the 2002–03 season. Smart served as interim head coach for the remaining forty games.
  26. ↑ "Keith Smart Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on December 30, 2008. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
  27. ↑ "Paul Silas Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on February 8, 2011. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
  28. ↑ Silas was fired 64 games into the 2004–05 season. Malone served as interim head coach for the remaining eighteen games.
  29. ↑ "Brendan Malone Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on December 25, 2008. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
  30. 1 2 "Mike Brown Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on May 10, 2010. Retrieved May 14, 2010.
  31. ↑ "Byron Scott Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on February 20, 2011. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  32. ↑ Blatt was fired 41 games into the 2015–16 season. Lue served as head coach for the remaining 41 games.
  33. ↑ "Tyronn Lue Coaching Record". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  34. ↑ Lue was fired six games into the 2018–19 season. Drew served as interim head coach for the remaining 76 games.
  35. ↑ Beilein resigned 54 games into the 2019–20 season. Bickerstaff served as head coach for the remaining 11 games before the season's suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  36. ↑ "J.B. Bickerstaff Coaching Record". Basketball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  37. ↑ "Daly, "Chuck" (Charles J.)". hickoksports.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2002. Retrieved December 2, 2008.
  38. ↑ "Chuck Daly Biography". Hit! Run! Score!, Inc. Archived from the original on September 22, 2008. Retrieved December 2, 2008.
  39. ↑ Bill Nichols. "Activist Stepien Axes Daly, March 27, 1982". The Sporting News. Archived from the original on November 21, 2008. Retrieved December 2, 2008.

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