Males’s Journal’s On a regular basis Warrior With Mike Sarraille is a podcast that evokes people to dwell extra fulfilling lives by having conversations with disrupters and excessive performers in all walks of life. In episode 33, we spoke to J. B. Bickerstaff, head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Hearken to the complete episode above (scroll down for the transcript) and see extra from this sequence beneath.
This interview has not been edited for size or readability.
Mike Sarraille:
Welcome again to the Males’s Journal On a regular basis Warrior Podcast. I’m your host, Mike Sarraille. I’m joined by coach J. B. Bickerstaff, head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Coach, thanks for, for becoming a member of us and, uh, congrats on the simple progress of inheriting a, uh, a younger staff, uh, with what was, you recognize, two again to again shedding seasons and turning that round, particularly ending 44 and 38. That’s, uh, that’s big.
J. B. Bickerstaff:
Yeah, no, I recognize it. Blissful to be right here. Wanting ahead to the dialog.
Mike Sarraille:
Hey, coach, first off, you recognize, we, we’ll get into it, however I’ve an enormous fascination. , we within the army, uh, don’t learn books concerning the army. Once we’re in it. We, we normally decide up books about leaders in several industries, and a kind of is, it all the time appears to be athletics. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, There’s simply one thing simple about, uh, you recognize, wonderful coaches that construct these, these profitable cultures, hopefully these wholesome profitable cultures. Cuz simply cuz you could have a profitable tradition doesn’t imply that the precise tradition for the, the, the gamers and everybody else is, uh, is wholesome. However I discovered this text and simply enable me to learn this cuz this, this, that is what made me excited. And I believe it speaks volumes to what you’re making an attempt to construct right here. Northeast Ohio likes to think about itself as a gritty and resilient place.
Mike Sarraille:
It’s a area the place, within the phrases of LeBron James, it’s most well-known native son. Nothing is given. Every thing is earned. It’s not that Cleveland’s natives will scorn a flashy dunk, however that performing one is not going to endear you to them fairly like getting tousled with an opponent implementing a leap ball. The junkyard canine chain is a method for the staff to lean into the Rust Belt Metropolis’s self picture, a method to reward the toughness within the scrappiness that a lot of its followers prize in worth. And for a franchise that has struggled to determine, uh, to seek out an id other than LeBron James over the previous 20 years, this may very well be a method to create and reclaim one. The ca The Cavaliers have been one of many NBA’s most stunning, uh, groups this season, referring to the, to the final season, getting into the 12 months with probably the most projections, uh, anticipating them to win between solely 25 to 30 video games.
Mike Sarraille:
And naturally, you guys got here out with 44 wins, regardless of being hampered by accidents and slowing down since their sizzling begin. Cleveland nonetheless seems to be one of the vital promising younger groups within the NBA with Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, and Jarrett Allen in search of a trio of future stars. Cleveland Ceiling seems to be increased than terminal towers. The hope is that staff, that, that the staff will proceed to refine itself, enjoying a extra intentional model that additionally retains the scrap mentality and depth that coach larger employees is rewarding every night time with the chain. The junkyard canine chain could not, uh, guarantee this happiness, nevertheless it does present an incentive for it to stay all through the remainder of the season and maybe past. That’s, that’s a fairly good rattling, uh, article. How does that make you are feeling, man? Uh,
J. B. Bickerstaff:
Good. Uh, you recognize, and I’m, you recognize, getting goosebumps, you recognize, listening to us. The primary, um, that I’ve heard of that I didn’t, you recognize, learn the article prematurely or something like that. Um, and, you recognize, it’s what we purpose for and, you recognize, whoever wrote that, um, put it fantastically into phrases that, you recognize, as a training employees, we sit down for hours upon hours, after which we get on the ground with our guys and the relationships we construct with our guys to get them pointed in that course. Um, and, you recognize, as we take into consideration who we’re, so, you recognize, you are taking this job, for me, it’s additionally about, you recognize, how will we join with our fan base? And, you recognize, there’s nothing larger than sport to get folks collectively. And when a staff can replicate its fan base, I believe you create one thing actually, actually particular. In order we speak about, you recognize, our core values and what we wish our id to be, you recognize, we wish our id to be one thing that our fan base, which is exclusive, can determine with and really feel like they’re part of. Uh, and in order that’s type of what we purpose to do, and that’s the place all this actually, actually began from.
Mike Sarraille:
In order that doesn’t fall in deaf ears that you simply guys perceive. You’re very a lot the delight of the town for, for that that younger police officer or that, you recognize, manufacturing facility employee that will get off work that’s seeking to ahead to six:00 PM in that tip off, you guys utterly perceive that you simply signify
J. B. Bickerstaff:
Yeah. That, and that’s, that’s what it’s about. what I imply? Like we, you recognize, clearly there are such a lot of issues that include this recreation, proper? And with the game of basketball, however on the finish of the day, we all know, you recognize, how necessary we may be to our followers. We all know you’ll be able to have an terrible day. And, you recognize, after we tip that ball off, like we are able to change folks’s moods and we do, you recognize, you watch once you’re, you recognize, within the constructing and a crowd, you recognize, the gang erupts over, you recognize, a play, a run, no matter it could be. Like, we perceive the affect that we’ve on others, uh, and that’s why we do what we do. It’s like, and I, and I’m so happy with our guys as a result of they’ve been in a position to purchase in some, to one thing larger than themselves and sacrifice of themselves to try this. In order that they perceive that, you recognize, the three level shot that Darius Garland makes Yeah. , can change a child’s <snort> day, what I imply? Like, he can have a horrible day. , Darius goes off for 30 factors or no matter, and that younger fan who’s possibly the primary time he ever acquired to see Darius play, he’s gonna be impacted for an extended, very long time due to that. So our guys are extraordinarily conscious of that. And like, that’s the rationale why we play the best way that we play.
Mike Sarraille:
That’s, that’s big affect. Uh, we speak about affect just about on each podcast. It’s, you recognize, we frequently say, and my listeners are most likely getting bored with listening to it, is that affect is the best foreign money in life. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, uh, you don’t take something with you once you, you die. Proper? However these, these, these reminiscences, uh, keep behind and, and for our listeners, you recognize, I learn that and earlier than we, we began this podcast, JB coach JB mentioned that, uh, I don’t learn articles. And, and uh, you additionally mentioned, cuz you recognize, we introduced up that one critics may be fairly nasty in addition to folks behind the keyboards who disguise behind anonymity. However you simply mentioned you guys placed on the wall, the person within the area, uh, kind of speech mm-hmm. <affirmative> from, uh, from Teddy Roosevelt mm-hmm. <affirmative> that, you recognize, the, the, the person within the area, uh, is all the things, you recognize, disregard the, the, the critics. That’s, uh, that’s big. And that, that could be a, I imply, assist we even had that on the partitions Yeah. Of our services. Yeah. Within the, uh, within the army. Yeah.
J. B. Bickerstaff:
Okay. Uh, we, uh, it’s, it’s, you recognize, once more, it’s understanding your objective <snort>, you recognize what I imply? And blocking out all the opposite issues that may affect you in a destructive method. And understanding the braveness that it takes, prefer to step on this scene, you recognize, to be part of this, to be prepared to take the criticism from, you recognize, these folks with Twitter fingers, um, you recognize, and simply present up each single night time after which be there within the second and have the braveness, you recognize, to make the play or take the shot. Like, it’s not simple, you recognize, like folks see the glamour behind these guys and, you recognize, the life-style they’re in a position to dwell. However, you recognize, to have the ability to deal with these moments and to have the ability to fail in entrance of all people after which come again tomorrow and do it once more, you recognize, that’s not a simple factor to do. And that takes, you recognize, uh, an immense quantity of braveness from all of those guys.
Mike Sarraille:
Yeah. And it’s unlucky that we’re in a state the place folks will decide aside those who settle for threat to do one thing distinctive. And in the event that they fail, it’s nearly like they’re there to simply maintain them down. Proper?
J. B. Bickerstaff:
That’s what theyre in search of. That bothers that half. Yeah. I agree with
Mike Sarraille:
You. Uh, after we ought to, I imply, hell dude, America’s one large underdog story, proper? In Cleveland is sort of like an underdog story. You simply love that, that gritty nature as they mentioned that, you recognize, the rust Belt metropolis is, is those who simply scrap mm-hmm. <affirmative> scrap. Uh, so, you recognize, certainly one of, one of many issues is, uh, coach is likely one of the most lovable, uh, accolades. The, you recognize, uh, a title I maintain pricey, and it’s, it’s earned, It’s not given. And I do know you’ve gotta earn that, uh, in entrance of your guys as properly. You’ve gotta construct real relationships. You’ve gotta present that you simply genuinely care. Um, I do know teaching is in your blood, however, uh, what, what does that title imply to you?
J. B. Bickerstaff:
Um, you recognize, it, it means quite a bit. Um, it’s a kind of issues and you recognize, I I say this time and time once more, like I used to be extraordinarily lucky rising up that I by no means needed to look outdoors my home for a task mannequin. Proper? Lots of people can’t say that. Um, you recognize, my dad was a basketball coach and my mother was a trainer. So, so for me, you recognize, as I used to be rising up each single day, I acquired to look at them do for others. And that’s how, you recognize, we have been raised. It’s like, you recognize, I might go to class with my mother and I might watch her train children and I might watch, you recognize, her relationships with these children left a long-lasting affect. And he or she was in a position to attain children that different academics who simply went there for the job weren’t in a position to do as a result of, you recognize, she would spend additional time with them and construct these relationships that you simply have been speaking about with them.
J. B. Bickerstaff:
And I watched how rather more receptive they have been as a result of they really believed and so they genuinely knew that she cared about them, uh, and wished to see them achieve success. Yeah. And there, these, there’s these moments the place you see them get it, you recognize, turns off train. Yeah. And it’s like, you recognize, you might spend hours and hours and hours with folks after which swiftly it clicks. And like, that was one of many issues that I keep in mind, you recognize, watching my mother do. And, you recognize, her response after they acquired it after which the youngsters’ response after they acquired it, um, is one thing that I all the time keep in mind. After which, you recognize, clearly, uh, my dad was a longtime coach, however what I used to be, you recognize, what we discovered to do is perceive what teaching actually is. It’s the identical as educating, you recognize, and each single day, that’s how we go about what we do is, you recognize, we’re educating folks, however it’s a must to perceive how necessary your position can be.
J. B. Bickerstaff:
And, you recognize, you talked about, you recognize, the affect being that foreign money, however like, we’ve an op a chance to affect folks’s lives for a very long time. Um, whether or not you’re working with children otherwise you’re working with these guys. And, and, and that’s the factor is like folks really feel like, you recognize, we get ’em at 19 and even, you recognize, 25 or 30, no matter it means, and other people really feel like they’re executed. However there’s a lot extra that all of us need to be taught. And there’s a lot extra that we may give, you recognize, that Kevin Love, for instance, proper? He and I are gonna have a relationship for the remainder of our lives. And it began when he was 19 years previous in Minnesota once I was there after we drafted him then. Yep. , after which come full circle and now we’re right here collectively. Um, however like we gained’t ever cease speaking. And you recognize, I believe like as a coach, you recognize, it’s a must to perceive the affect that you may’t have destructive or constructive, proper? Like a few of the worst reminiscences that I’ve rising up is as a result of I had a coach who was an asshole and he thought that, you recognize, he was extra necessary than what legacy that he was gonna depart for the youngsters. Um, and you recognize, you be taught from these, these issues as properly.
Mike Sarraille:
You, you be taught from unhealthy leaders as a lot as you be taught from
J. B. Bickerstaff:
Good. Proper? Precisely.
Mike Sarraille:
Yeah. However you, the factor I wanna reinforce is that, that that title coach is not only athletics. No. In case you are a father or a mom, you’re very a lot a, uh, a coach. Um, you recognize, I, I do need to ask this cuz you recognize, as we do analysis in, in, we all know when LeBron left, you recognize, the, the calves fell in some laborious years, they’re rebuilding. So that you inherit a staff that had back-to-back seasons the place they solely gained 19 video games. What I believe when proportion, that’s about 0.275. Once you take and inherit that scenario in your thoughts, what’s that first step you are taking?
J. B. Bickerstaff:
Uh, it, it’s getting the fellows to imagine, you recognize, that we are able to get out of the place we’re after which incomes their belief, you recognize, that we are able to present them the best way. Um, and you recognize, I imply, cuz like, when you’re struggling and when you’re shedding, the toughest factor to do in our enterprise is to show folks the way to win. , folks don’t actually perceive how tough profitable, you recognize, in skilled sports activities or something, no matter you’re dealing with, Proper. To get a win is extraordinarily tough. To win persistently is much more tough. Uh, and educating folks the way to win in our enterprise as a result of a lot as we develop up is concentrated on the person. Proper? Like, it’s all concerning the child who’s the very best participant. Yeah. So getting folks to know and purchase into one thing larger than themselves is the very first thing that it’s a must to try this’s lovely.
J. B. Bickerstaff:
And also you’ve gotta earn that, you recognize, each single day. However it’s, it’s by your actions, proper? It’s the way you stroll each single day. It’s the way you carry your self each single day. It’s the way you talk each single day. Like that varieties a relationship and a belief that folks know that they will depend upon you since you’re gonna be the identical method each single day. , for those who’re using that emotional rollercoaster and you recognize, you’re up and down, like folks gained’t have the ability to depend upon you. And that’s what our job is. And guys need to know, like, I can rely on him each single day.
Mike Sarraille:
It’s, it’s wonderful when, when, you recognize, I’ve acquired a tremendous job the place I may discuss to leaders on a regular basis. And, and Mel Tucker mentioned one thing that I’ve completely, I imagine in relation to management, plagiarism is completely allowed. <snort>, um, I imply, hell, I imply you learn Teddy Roosevelt and you then, you pull that into your management model, proper? However he mentioned success leaves bread breadcrumbs. And, and I really like how, you recognize, you’re saying issues, you recognize, quite a lot of leaders say that their values are baked into each dialog they’ve. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, uh, in, in in that vein, um, you recognize, I really like that you simply’re, you’re constructing within the phrases this scrap mentality and this depth. And also you guys have adopted, which, you recognize, Lamar Stevens, certainly one of your younger gamers drove this, this junkyard canine mentality, which is so humorous. Trigger my dad all the time used to make use of that. He all the time used to say, Hey Ellis, my final identify is Sorrelli Uhhuh. Uh, we’re not the neatest, however we labored the toughest. Hardest. Proper. We gotta earn all the things that, that we do. So behind this junkyard canine, uh, mentality, you’ve connected 5 core values. And I simply need to, I need to have you ever hit these briefly. They’re particulars collectively, compete, toughness in yet one more, simply briefly clarify these and why you’ve chosen these, uh, these core values behind this junkyard canine mentality.
J. B. Bickerstaff:
So, you recognize, once you take over a job, proper, you recognize, we speak about what’s it gonna take to be a profitable staff? what I imply? Like, what are the issues that each single day you concentrate on that may translate right into a profitable staff? It’s once more, a part of bringing in, you recognize, your fan base and the way you discover that connectedness to your fan base and what they’ll recognize in addition to, you recognize, how do you construct staff mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And so, you recognize, you sit down and you consider it and it’s, these are the 5, you recognize, that got here to, you recognize, thoughts after, you recognize, uh, you recognize, fascinated by it time and time once more. It’s like, you recognize the main points and what, what we do. And I want, you recognize, I had it with me, however like, actually go to the dictionary and we’ll undergo this with our guys the definition of every of those phrases.
J. B. Bickerstaff:
You’re kidding. Yeah. And, and so like, the main points definition is, it’s like, it’s all of the small issues that come collectively that may create a wonderful piece of artwork. And like once you watch basketball and when issues are executed the right method, prefer it’s a wonderful factor to look at. Yeah. And I’m positive it interprets to, you recognize, all the things, soccer, basketball, enterprise, no matter it’s. However like, once you watch all of the little issues and it creates that lovely murals, such as you see that on the courtroom. Yeah. , and it’s not one thing that simply occurred by chance. Yep. It’s one thing that the 5 guys on the ground, you recognize, made aware selections to do issues a specific method to get you to that time. And so, like, that’s one of many issues that stood out, you recognize, the toughness piece of it. Um, like, you recognize, it, it’s that grit.
J. B. Bickerstaff:
It’s that, you recognize, bodily pressure that you may really feel. And it’s additionally the psychological piece of it. Sure. Like how do you deal with adversity when issues are unhealthy? , the place do you go? Um, you recognize, do you keep in it? Do you combat or do you run, , And, and we attempt to simplify it to that, like each scenario, these are the 2 decisions you could have, Proper? If I can combat or run. Yeah. what I imply? And like, our guys aren’t operating. Um, and that’s type of the, you recognize, that’s the mentality that we’ve. , on the finish of the day, it’s competitors. And competitors isn’t all the time simply the ultimate, uh, tick on the scoreboard. Proper? The competitors is each single play, there’s a battle that has to to occur, proper? Like, are you going to protect your man?
J. B. Bickerstaff:
Are you gonna combat over a display screen, you recognize, uh, offensively are you gonna work to get to your spot? Like, there’s so many small moments of competitors that you might want to win in a recreation to be able to achieve success. However like, it’s a mindset that it’s a must to have. Like it’s a must to be prepared to compete, uh, each single possession. Um, you recognize, the yet one more is it, it’s all the things. So we use the time period on the ground, prefer to make it additional move. We use it yet one more, proper? However like, the yet one more is one thing larger for us. It’s yet one more shot, it’s yet one more rep, it’s yet one more rotation. It’s yet one more effort. Like, for those who’re all the time prepared to present the yet one more, you then give your self a chance to outwork your opponent, which is, you recognize, one thing that we take a ton of delight.
J. B. Bickerstaff:
And so, um, you recognize, making an attempt to place all these issues collectively and each single day, like, you recognize, we carry it in. Like we solely use these phrases. Uh, after which, you recognize, it’s fairly, such as you’ll watch and also you’ll see, after which the man begins talking it, and as soon as they begin to see it turns into a standard language, proper? After which now we’re all on the identical web page, we’re all considering it. Um, and you recognize, it, it’s, it helps you maintain true to who you’re, you recognize, and what your id is. And also you’re not all the time trying to find one thing totally different. Like, you’ll be able to keep that focus and keep, you recognize, keep, keep there. Um, you recognize, I assume I can now, possibly the time we are able to, let’s, let’s see it. Yeah. This, we’ve been ready for this, um, you recognize, and it’s, it’s, that is, you recognize, our junkyard canine chain, proper?
J. B. Bickerstaff:
And I believe it’s recognition of, you recognize, the man that had it, you recognize, that night time. And the very best half about it’s like, we don’t give this to the best rating. Sure. what I imply? Like, we give this to the man who scrapped, who scrapped probably the most, uh, and who personified that scrap. Uh, and you recognize, the final phrase, and you recognize, for us, the, you recognize, arguably a very powerful is collectively, proper? Like, we don’t stroll the stroll as people. Each time we stroll the stroll, we stroll it collectively. And each time we go right into a recreation, like we go in it collectively. And what we bought our guys on final 12 months was, you recognize, at first of the 12 months, no person knew what we have been gonna be. Proper? Everyone had written us off, we have been going again to the lottery.
J. B. Bickerstaff:
We have been, you recognize, all these issues. However our dialog from day one was, we not, we would not be probably the most proficient group on the ground, however what we are able to management is we may be the very best staff on the ground. And also you watch it and you could possibly see it like, we return and watch movie and also you simply stare at our bench. You don’t even have to look at the sport, simply stare at our bench. And you could possibly see that bench pulling for the fellows on the ground. , we play the identical place. It didn’t matter, proper? Like Kevin, love, you recognize, 5 time All star, world champion Gold medalist was on that bench. And he was cheering for Evan Mobley, who he arguably may have been, you recognize, drafted to switch him. However Kevin by no means took that mindset the place it was a, you recognize, uh, a destructive competitors.
J. B. Bickerstaff:
It was, we’re staff. And, you recognize, his sacrifice allowed me to teach this staff in a method that if he didn’t, it could’ve made my job harder. Um, however that’s the togetherness that we’re speaking about. And that’s the one method you may be profitable on this factor, is for those who all do it collectively and you recognize, you have already got an opponent, proper? And also you’ve gotta go combat that opponent. For those who’re combating yourselves, you by no means give your self a chance to achieve success. And so, like all these phrases collectively, you recognize, uh, have been, have been allowed us, you recognize, to exceed expectations of others.
Mike Sarraille:
Nicely, coach, uh, I’ve gotta thanks on your time. I, I do know, uh, you recognize, speaking to folks in Cleveland, they mentioned, Hey, you persons are very sort right here. They’re like, What are you doing right here? I’m, I’m like, Hey, I’m going to interview, uh, Coach jb, uh, they converse with affection. I do know the folks of Cleveland, uh, love you and what you’re doing for anybody, uh, a father, a mom chief of a enterprise or, or no matter trade you’re in, Watch Coach JB and the tradition you guys are constructing. Um, you’ll be able to be taught quite a bit. And, uh, I’m excited to see what you guys do that season and, and proceed the road that you simply’ve constructed. And, uh, once more, congratulations to you and all of the boys and, uh, we’ll be in your nook.
J. B. Bickerstaff:
No, I recognize that. Thanks for having me. Completely.
Mike Sarraille:
All proper, guys, thanks for becoming a member of us. Once more, that is the Males’s Journal, On a regular basis Warrior. I’m your host, Mikes Reley. Till subsequent.
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