Cleveland, OH
NBA Rumors: J.B. Bickerstaff's Job in 'Serious Jeopardy' After Cavs' Loss to Celtics
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Despite leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to back-to-back playoff appearances, including their first playoff series win without LeBron James since 1993, J.B. Bickerstaff may not return as head coach next season.
Per The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Joe Vardon and Jason Lloyd, Bickerstaff’s job is “in serious jeopardy” following the Cavs’ season-ending loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Wednesday night.
The report noted a decision on Bickerstaff’s future may not be immediate, as the team “is likely to take some time—multiple days—to make a decision.”
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski added that Cavs management will have “a lot of conversations on different ways to proceed” heading into the offseason.
Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn
ESPN Sources: After an Eastern Conference semifinal loss to Celtics with short-handed lineup, Cavaliers plan to take time to evaluate coach JB Bickerstaff’s future, but organization remains fond of him and marketplace is sparse of proven candidates. There will be a lot of…
It’s hard to pin the blame for Cleveland’s loss to the Celtics in five games entirely on Bickerstaff. Donovan Mitchell missed the final two games due to a strained left calf. Jarrett Allen hasn’t played since Game 4 against the Orlando Magic in the first round because of a bruised rib.
Injuries were one of the defining stories for the 2023-24 Cavaliers. Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley combined to miss 84 games during the regular season. Allen, Georges Niang, Max Strus, Isaac Okoro and Caris LeVert were the only players who appeared in at least 65 games.
Despite all of the injury issues, the Cavs were able to finish fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 48-34 record.
As the Cavs move into the offseason, the biggest question for the franchise is Mitchell’s future. He is under contract for two more seasons, with the second year being a player option.
Mitchell was asked numerous times during the season about potentially signing an extension, but he’s declined to directly answer those questions.
Erik Slater @erikslater_
Donovan Mitchell remained non-committal on signing an extension with the Cavs after Dan Gilbert’s comments:<br><br>”I got a lot of things to focus on outside of that right now… So, I’ll handle that when it comes… I’m gonna give you the same answer.”<br><br>(Video via <a href=”https://twitter.com/CavsInsider_FN?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@CavsInsider_FN</a>) <a href=”https://t.co/pDbU5PpzAJ”>pic.twitter.com/pDbU5PpzAJ</a>
Cavs governor Dan Gilbert told Larry Lage of the Associated Press in March he believes Mitchell will eventually sign an extension:
“We’ve been talking to him, sure, for the last couple of years about extending this contract. We think he will extend. I think if you listen to him talk, he loves the city. He loves the situation in Cleveland because our players are very young and we’re just kind of putting the core together that he’s clearly the biggest part of.”
Even though the Cavaliers don’t have to trade Mitchell if he doesn’t re-sign this summer, it would be extremely risky for the franchise to let him play out next season and possibly lose him for nothing in free agency.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks noted Mitchell is eligible for a four-year, $208 million extension starting July 6.
While the Mitchell saga will be the biggest focus in Cleveland, Bickerstaff’s future is suddenly something else that is going to be under the microscope.
The 45-year-old Bickerstaff just finished his fifth season with the Cavaliers. He is one of the more successful head coaches in Cavs’ history, ranking fifth in games (329) and wins (170).
Bickerstaff signed an extension with the Cavs early in the 2021-22 season that runs through the 2026-27 campaign.
Cleveland, OH
’27 DE Munir Lewis Commits to Louisville
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Make that a trio of commitment in the Class of 2027 this week for the Louisville football program.
Cleveland (Oh.) Brush defensive end Munir Lewis announced Wednesday that he has committed to the Cardinals. He’s the third commit in the last four days for UofL, Bradenton (Fla.) Cardinal Mooney defensive lineman Kaleb Exume committing on Sunday and Tampa (Fla.) Carrollwood Day two-way athlete Brooklyn Maxey doing so on Monday.
Lewis chose Louisville out of a top seven that also consisted of Ohio State, Michigan State, Illinois, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and Purdue. He also held offers from Cincinnati, Minnesota, Wisconsin plus several others, and made multiple visits to UofL’s campus – including this past Friday for the spring game. He’s set to return for an official visit this May.
The 6-foot-5, 245-pound defensive end is regarded as the 23rd-ranked prospect in the state of Ohio, the No. 50 edge rusher in the Class of 2027, and the No. 592 recruit in the nation, per the 247Sports Composite.
Lewis was an explosive force for Brush as a junior this past season. He collected 55 total tackles, 13.5 for loss, nine sacks, four pass breakup, a forced fumbles and over 20 quarterback pressures. He helped Brush finish the 2025 season with a 6-4 record.
Lewis is the 12th commitment in Louisville’s 2027 recruiting class, which is on pace to be the best in school history. he joins a class that not only ranks as the best class in the ACC, but the No. 8 class in the nation, per the 247Sports Composite. Four of their commitments are regarded as four-star prospects by the composite.
He’s also the latest in a budding pipeline to the state of Ohio, which has been championed by Executive Director of Football Personnel and Recruiting Vince Marrow. Five of Louisville’s 12 commitments in the 2027 cycle are from the Buckeye State, with three hailing from the Cincinnati area and the other two coming from Cleveland.
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Cleveland, OH
American Cornhole League Cleveland Signature Open | April 24, 2026 | Greater Cleveland Sports Commission
American Cornhole League is bringing the heat to the boards in Cleveland with $150,000 on the line. Join us on April 24-26, 2026, for elite competition where amateurs and pros collide. Whether you’re a backyard ringer or a seasoned veteran, this is your chance to…
Cleveland, OH
Houston Astros at Cleveland Guardians prediction, pick for Tuesday 4/21/26
Garion Thorne gives you a preview, prediction and pick for tonight’s game between the Houston Astros and the Cleveland Guardians.
Few teams needed a win last night more than the Astros.
Houston came into Monday’s action having lost 12 of its past 14 games, while also having lost nearly as many pitchers — at least it feels that way. Just take a quick glance at this club’s IL. Hunter Brown (shoulder), Tatsuya Imai (fatigue), Cristian Javier (shoulder). Those aren’t losses that are easy to survive, and the Astros have understandably been struggling. However, after a dominating 9-2 victory, Houston can at least take a small breath.
Can the Astros make it two in a row this evening? Or will the Guardians bounce back? Let’s preview this AL clash and make a couple picks on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
Astros vs. Guardians prediction, preview
So, remember that list of injured Astros pitchers I just recited? The consequence of the length of that list, is that you have to start people like Ryan Weiss. That’s not to suggest that Weiss is completely without promise — he was a stud in the KBO in 2024 and 2025 — it’s just that the right-hander’s MLB career has gotten off to a slightly rocky start, and it’s clear that Houston currently prefers the 29-year-old as a reliever. In 14.2 innings of work, Weiss has racked up 18 strikeouts, but he’s also surrendered four home runs, 11 earned runs, and a sixth percentile opponent hard hit rate (54.5%). Weiss isn’t quite built up to be a starter, either. Well, at least not fully, as he threw a season-high 76 pitches in his last outing. That means we’re probably going to have to see a lot of the Astros’ bullpen on Tuesday, which is not a good thing. Houston’s RPs rank 29th in ERA (5.66) and they’ve served up a league-high 1.89 opponent home runs per nine. Yikes.
On the other side of this pitching matchup, we find another starter with little major league experience. That said, Parker Messick already looks like another developmental success story of the Guardians’ pitcher factory. The former second-round pick debuted in 2025, maintaining a 2.72 ERA and a 2.98 FIP across seven starts. If possible, Messick’s looked even better so far in 2026, allowing a mere three earned runs over 25.2 innings. Now, a .200 BABIP isn’t going to sustain. Neither is a 91.4% strand rate. However, when you’re limiting opponents to a 3.3% barrel rate and a 29.5% hard hit rate, you might just get a little “lucky” from time to time. It’s not like the southpaw has been skating by on a soft schedule, either. Messick has faced the Dodgers, the Braves, the Cubs and the Orioles. There isn’t a single cakewalk in there.
That pattern of difficult matchups will continue on Tuesday, as well. For as underwhelming as the Astros’ record is, it’s mostly a byproduct of poor pitching. The offense has actually been one of the best in all of baseball. Houston actually leads all American League teams in wOBA (.350) and wRC+ (124), with Yordan Alvarez leading the charge. He’s been fantastic in left-on-left scenarios, too. In his 36 plate appearances within the split, Alvarez is slashing .448/.528/1.034 with a 315 wRC+. I don’t want to discount Jose Ramirez, who has six homers and 10 stolen bases for the Guardians, yet a healthy Alvarez is easily the best bat in this series. He’s that good.
Astros vs. Guardians pick, best bet
Best Bet: Jose Ramirez 2+ Total Bases (+107)
Weiss has a 6.27 FIP. The Astros’ bullpen has given up the most opponent home runs per nine (1.89). Ramirez probably won’t be in a single bad matchup this evening, and that’s before you factor in that the All-Star is a switch-hitter.
Strong Lean: Ryan Weiss 4+ Strikeouts (+123)
While Weiss’ surface numbers aren’t great, he has managed four strikeouts in two of his three outings where he’s thrown 60+ pitches. He’s struck out 18 in 14.2 innings and I expect he’ll flirt with the 90-pitch plateau on Tuesday.
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