Sources: J.B. Bickerstaff to be Cavs assistant

With a plan to partner him with new coach John Beilein, the Cleveland Cavaliers are hiring J.B. Bickerstaff as associate head coach, league sources told ESPN.

The Cavaliers will make Bickerstaff one of the NBA’s top paid assistant coaches, league sources said.

Cleveland is working with Beilein — a highly successfully 40-year college coach — to ease his transition to the pro game and targeted Bickerstaff as a key to that education.

Bickerstaff, the Memphis Grizzlies head coach for the past year-plus, had discussed top assistant roles with Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Sacramento, but met with Beilein and general manager Koby Altman at the NBA’s draft combine in Chicago and began to gravitate toward the Cavaliers recruitment, sources said.

Bickerstaff had interviewed for the Cavaliers head coaching job with Altman before the hiring of Beilein. Bickerstaff’s father, Bernie, a longtime NBA coach and executive, works as a consultant for the Cavaliers.

Bickerstaff, 40, had been interim coach with the Houston Rockets (2015-16), leading them to the playoffs, and landed the Grizzlies job after spending most of 2017-18 as the interim following David Fizdale’s firing. His career record is 85-131.

Cleveland hired Beilein, 66, on Friday after 12 seasons at the University of Michigan.