Former coaches of the Cleveland Cavaliers have had an interesting history, as some Hall of Fame NBA players helped shape the franchise's future. However, even successful coaches have been fired, as was the case with a head coach let go after making the NBA Finals in his rookie season.

Over the years, Cleveland Cavaliers coaches have had the privilege of working with all-time great LeBron James, especially during an NBA Championship run in 2016 that gave Cleveland the first NBA title in its 46-year history.

Cavaliers coaching history has been marked by both highs and lows. At times, Cleveland has been among the worst teams in the league, while at others, they have been regular playoff contenders. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Cavs faced off against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in several playoff series, and they experienced another impressive run during LeBron's prime years.

Who is the coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers?

J.B. Bickerstaff is the current head coach of the Cavs, having assumed the job in 2020.

Bickerstaff had been part of the Cavs coaching staff under head coach John Beilein in 2020. When Beilein stepped down after a short and unsuccessful run, Bickerstaff was named his successor.

The current Cavs coach didn’t come without head coaching experience, having been the head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies from 2017 to 2019. Since arriving in Cleveland, Bickerstaff has helped to build a strong culture among his players with a keen focus on defense and team chemistry.

Cleveland Cavaliers Head Coach History

When the Cavs were founded as an expansion franchise in 1970, they named Bill Fitch as head coach for their inaugural season. There have been a total of 23 head coaches in franchise history, but Fitch remains the longest-serving coach to date.

He was followed by the great Lenny Wilkens, as well as successful coaching tenures from the likes of Mike Brown, Tyronn Lue, and David Blatt.

Famous Cleveland Cavaliers Head Coaches

Lenny Wilkens is the biggest name to have served as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Wilkens spent three seasons with the Cavs as a player from 1972 to 1974, making his ninth and final NBA All-Star appearance while playing for the team in 1973.

Wilkens returned to the franchise in 1986 -- this time as the head coach. He held the position for the next eight seasons and coached 574 games. Wilkens is recognized as a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame for his achievements both as a player and coach. In addition, he was recently named one of the 15 greatest coaches in NBA history in 2022.

Ranking the Top 10 Greatest Cleveland Cavaliers Head Coaches of all time

10. Tom Nissalke (1982 to 1984)

Career Stats with the Cavs: 51-113

Tom Nissalke took over as the Cavs head coach towards the end of his coaching career. Since 1971, he had served as a head coach, starting with a stint with the ABA’s Dallas Chaparrals.

Nissalke coached the Houston Rockets for four seasons before leading the Utah Jazz for another four, after which he was named the Cavaliers head coach in 1983. By the time he took over, Nissalke had been named the Coach of the Year in both the ABA (1971) and the NBA (1977).

The experienced head coach led a struggling Cavs franchise for 164 games, claiming 51 wins across two seasons. He was let go in 1984 -- making him the Cavs’ ninth coach in seven years during the worst run in the franchise history.

9. Stan Albeck (1979-80)

Career Stats with the Cavs: 37-45

Stan Albeck was only the second coach in Cavaliers history, taking over from Bill Fitch.

Fitch had led the team since its establishment in 1970, but he resigned in 1979. Albeck was an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers when he got the call for the Cavs job -- his first opportunity as a head coach at the pro level.

Albeck boosted the Cavaliers during his single season in charge -- helping them to a 37-45 regular-season record. He had done a good job turning things around in Cleveland, but at the end of the season his services were scooped up by the San Antonio Spurs. Although Albeck was still under contract with the Cavs, he departed for San Antonio and left Cleveland looking for a new head coach.

8. Paul Silas (2003 to 2005)

Career Stats with the Cavs: 69-77

Paul Silas was the head coach of the Cavaliers when a certain rookie named LeBron James arrived. Silas had been hired to mentor the 18-year-old, who was expected to be one of the most outstanding draft picks in recent history.

Silas was held in high regard due to his success building a winning roster with the Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets and for his ability to bring out the best in their top players. He never suffered a losing season during his five-year tenure with the Hornets and set his sights on similar success with a Cavs team that had won just 17 games in the 2002-03 season.

Cleveland got better year-over-year during the two seasons Silas roamed the sidelines, and he assisted James with his early development as an NBA player. Unfortunately, the Cavs’ roster didn’t extend too far beyond a young LeBron, with Zydrunas Ilgauskas being the only other noteworthy name of that era.

7. George Karl (1984 to 1986)

Career Stats with the Cavs: 61-88

George Karl was an NBA coach for many years and is best known for his time with the Seattle Supersonics and Denver Nuggets. However, it was Cleveland that gave Karl his first shot as a head coach.

Prior to Karl’s arrival, the Cavs had slumped for several years and hadn’t seen the NBA playoffs since 1977 when Bill Fitch was still in charge. Karl became the coach who broke the cold streak -- leading the Cavs to the playoffs in his first year with the team despite a 36-46 regular-season record. Cleveland lost its first-round playoff series vs. the Boston Celtics in four games, but Karl did a good job with the resources he had available that season.

Karl went on to coach in the NBA for over 30 years and is now a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.

6. Mike Fratello (1993 to 1999)

Career Stats with the Cavs: 248-212

Mike Fratello took over as the Cleveland Cavaliers’ coach in 1994, becoming the successor to Lenny Wilkens.

Wilkens had been one of the most successful coaches in Cavs history, and Fratello would follow that up with another four playoff appearances during the six seasons he ran the show.

Fratello didn’t have it easy in Cleveland. He built a winning team, only to see it ripped apart on multiple occasions. He lost Brad Daugherty, who was forced into early retirement due to recurring back injuries, as well as Larry Nance, who opted to retire in 1994. Fratello rebuilt once again before enduring more losses in Mark Price and Hot Rod Williams, who were both traded away.

While the Cavs never got past the first round of the playoffs under Fratello, the coach’s ability to develop consistency and keep Cleveland relevant deserves to be applauded. He ranks fourth in wins all time among Cavs coaches and has the fifth-best winning percentage – making him one of the most underrated coaches the team has had.

5. David Blatt (2014 to 2016)

Career Stats with the Cavs: 83-40

David Blatt had one of the most interesting and bizarre coaching experiences in Cleveland Cavaliers history. Hired in 2014, he led the Cavs to the NBA Finals in his very first season but was gone a year later.

Blatt came to the NBA with strong credentials -- having coached EuroLeague teams in both Russia and in Israel -- but had never coached in North America prior to being hired by the Cavaliers. The question was whether his skills would carry over into the NBA. His subsequent appearance in the NBA Finals all but squashed any doubt about that.

The Cavs were 53-29 in the 2014-15 regular season and knocked off Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks with relative ease as they advanced to the Finals. Blatt would face Steve Kerr and the Warriors for the title -- marking the first time two rookie head coaches had gone head-to-head in an NBA Finals since the league’s inaugural season.

The following year, Blatt was fired midseason with the team’s record at 30-11. Management felt he just wasn’t a good fit for the franchise, and question marks had arisen internally about his ability to help the team win a championship. While it might have seemed a bizarre call, the Cavs went on to return to the NBA Finals and win the franchise’s first championship.

Blatt returned to Europe and never coached in the NBA again. Despite being fired halfway through his second season, Blatt holds the Cavaliers’ franchise record for winning percentage (.675) by a head coach.

4. Bill Fitch (1970 to 1979)

Career Stats with the Cavs: 304-434

Awards with team: NBA Coach of the Year (1975-76)

Bill Fitch became the first head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers after the team was founded in 1970. He faced an uphill struggle to establish the brand-new franchise, but was allowed the time to do so, and eventually led Cleveland to its first playoff appearance in 1976.

Fitch would lead Cleveland back to the playoffs in each of the following two seasons, coaching the first successful Cavs team that featured Bingo Smith, Campy Russell, and Austin Carr in the late 1970s.

The legendary coach was named the NBA Coach of the Year in 1976, having led the Cavs to a 49-33 regular-season record, first place in the Central Division, and second place in the Eastern Conference. Fitch’s Cavs played in 18 playoff games from 1976 to 1978, going 7-11 over the span.

Bill Fitch helped to build the Cleveland Cavaliers and was the architect of the franchise’s success in the late 1970s. He is recognized as one of the best roster-building coaches in NBA history, often picking up a poor team and helping it turn things around. Fitch went on to win an NBA Championship with the Boston Celtics and was named the NBA Coach of the Year for a second time in 1980.

In 1996, Fitch was officially voted one of the Top 10 Coaches in NBA History.

3. Mike Brown (2005 to 2010, 2013-2014)

Career Stats with the Cavs: 305-187

Awards with team: NBA Coach of the Year (2008-09)

Mike Brown took over as the Cleveland Cavaliers’ head coach when a young LeBron James was starting to make waves around the league. Cleveland, however, still hadn’t made it to the NBA playoffs since the 1997 season.

Brown was getting his first taste of the life as a head coach in Cleveland and appeared to be a natural. In his very first season with the Cavs, Cleveland won 50 games and made the playoffs. Brown, the second-youngest coach in the NBA, was already making a name for himself.

The Cavs went on to enjoy some of their most successful years under Mike Brown – reaching the playoffs in five straight seasons, which included an Eastern Conference championship and trip to the 2007 NBA Finals.

Cleveland went 66-16 in the 2007-08 season, and 61-21 the following year. Brown was named the NBA Coach of the Year for his 2008-09 efforts.

In 2013, he returned for a second stint as Cleveland’s head coach after owner Dan Gilbert claiming that firing Brown in 2010 had been a mistake. The second stint in charge was less successful, as the team was hampered by injuries and a lack of chemistry within the locker room that led to fighting amongst players.

Mike Brown won 62 percent of his games with the Cavaliers and brought the franchise some of their most dominant seasons during LeBron’s early prime. Among Cleveland head coaches, he ranks second all-time both in wins and winning percentage. He is undoubtedly one of the most successful Cleveland Cavaliers coaches in franchise history.

2. Tyronn Lue (2015 to 2018)

Career Stats with the Cavs: 128-83

Awards with team: NBA Championship (2016)

It's reasonable to consider Tyronn Lue as the top candidate on this list. Some might even argue that Mike Brown deserves to be ranked higher. Ultimately, however, the ranking depends on the relative significance of the team’s 2016 Championship.

Lue coached the Cavs to their first and -- so far -- only NBA Championship in 2016, having taken over the team midseason after David Blatt’s mysterious firing.

Lue had been on the coaching staff in Cleveland since 2014. When Blatt was dismissed, Lue was named the immediate successor, with the strong team already in good shape at 30-11.

Despite the chaotic coaching change midway through what was meant to be a championship-caliber season for the Cavs, the team never missed a beat. Cleveland went right back to the NBA Finals under their rookie head coach, overcoming a 3-1 deficit in the Finals and knocking off the Golden State Warriors in Game 7.

Lue deserves a lot of credit for helping to coach that team, but he will always have doubters because of the strength of team he inherited. LeBron James was at his absolute peak, while Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love offered an All-Star supporting cast. There are cases for both sides, but Lue’s ability to catch teams off guard and make strong adjustments in the playoffs played a very real part in their championship hat season.

In his time with the Cavs, Tyronn Lue had a regular-season record of 128-83 and went 41-20 in the playoffs. He is third all-time in winning percentage among Cavs head coaches, and second in playoff winning percentage, trailing only his predecessor Blatt.

1. Lenny Wilkens (1987-1993)

Career Stats with the Cavs: 316-258

All-time NBA legend Lenny Wilkens was a nine-time All-Star during his playing days, including an All-Star appearance while playing for the Cavs in 1973. He returned to the franchise 13 years later as the team’s head coach, taking over a poor squad that had only made the playoffs once in its previous nine seasons.

Wilkens took the Cavs back to the playoffs during his second season in charge. He then led the team to five playoff appearances in six seasons, including an appearance in the 1992 Eastern Conference Finals.

The former Cavs star did a tremendous job coaching young talent -- helping the likes of Brad Daugherty, Mark Price, Larry Nance, and Hot Rod Williams become integral parts of franchise history. Wilkens' Cavs teams provided one of the most fun eras of Cleveland basketball. They played fast, and that style was popular.

Wilkens won 316 regular season games while coaching the Cavs, adding another 18 wins in the playoffs. He coached the second-most games in franchise history behind only Bill Fitch, and ranks third among Cleveland coaches in playoff appearances.

The Cavs were eliminated by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in four of their five Wilkens-era playoff appearances, including the 1992 conference finals series. Had it not been for that Bulls dynasty, Wilkens might have helped the Cavaliers to a championship of their own.

Lenny Wilkens, now a proud member of the Basketball Hall of Fame both as a player and as a head coach, was voted one of the Top 15 Coaches in NBA History in 2022. He is one of the most respected men ever associated with the NBA and is very deserving of the top spot among Cavs coaches.

Parameters for Ranking

These top 10 former coaches of the Cleveland Cavaliers coaches have been ranked based on their success while in charge of the team. Playoff appearances, NBA Finals appearances and, of course, NBA championships have all been taken into consideration, combined with the coach's legacy as a leader of the franchise.

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