CLEVELAND, Ohio - Lenny Wilkens holds the Cleveland Cavaliers’ record for wins and David Blatt has the top winning percentage among the 23 previous Cleveland Cavaliers coaches before Wednesday’s hiring of J.B. Bickerstaff.
John Beilein, whose short tenure with the Cavs ended just past the midway point of the 2019-20, season, does not have the worst record in Cavs history.
Beilein was 14-40 (.259) in his only NBA head coaching job after a long college career. Cavs coaches with worse records were his immediate predecessor, Larry Drew (19-57, .250), plus Keith Smart (9-31, .225) and Chuck Daly (9-32, .220), who had considerably more success with the Detroit Pistons in the late 1980s.
Among those with a slightly better records were Don Delaney (7-19, .269), Byron Scott (64-166, .278), Bill Musselman (27-67, .287) and John Lucas (37-87, .298).
On the plus side, the Cavs coaching list includes some well-known NBA coaches, including Daly, Bill Fitch, George Karl, Mike Fratello and Wilkens. Their records for the Cavaliers and all-time in the pros are listed in the chart below.
For wins in Cleveland, Wilkens leads with 316. He was 316-258 over seven seasons for the Cavs, part of a pro coaching career that included six teams and a 1,332-1,115 record.
Mike Brown’s record of 305-187 in Cleveland ranks him second in franchise wins.
The top record, by percent, belongs to Blatt. Blatt won 68% of his games while going 83-40 in just over one season with the Cavs.
| Coach | Cavs Record | Pro Record | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seasons | W | L | Pct. | Teams | W | L | Pct. | |
| J.B. Bickerstaff | 2020- | |||||||
| John Beilein | 2019-20 | 14 | 40 | .259 | 1 | 14 | 40 | .259 |
| Larry Drew | 2018-19 | 19 | 57 | .250 | 3 | 162 | 226 | .418 |
| Tyronn Lue | 2016-19 | 128 | 83 | .607 | 1 | 128 | 83 | .607 |
| David Blatt | 2014-16 | 83 | 40 | .675 | 1 | 83 | 40 | .675 |
| Mike Brown | 2005-10 2013-14 |
305 | 187 | .620 | 2 | 347 | 216 | .616 |
| Byron Scott | 2010-13 | 64 | 166 | .278 | 4 | 454 | 647 | .412 |
| Brendan Malone | 2004-05 | 8 | 10 | .444 | 2 | 29 | 71 | .290 |
| Paul Silas | 2003-05 | 69 | 77 | .473 | 5 | 387 | 488 | .442 |
| Keith Smart | 2002-03 | 9 | 31 | .225 | 3 | 93 | 170 | .354 |
| John Lucas | 2001-03 | 37 | 87 | .298 | 3 | 173 | 258 | .401 |
| Randy Wittman | 1999-01 | 62 | 102 | .378 | 3 | 147 | 291 | .336 |
| Mike Fratello | 1993-99 | 248 | 212 | .539 | 3 | 667 | 548 | .549 |
| Lenny Wilkens | 1986-93 | 316 | 258 | .551 | 6 | 1,332 | 1,155 | .536 |
| Gene Littles | 1985-86 | 4 | 11 | .267 | 2 | 44 | 111 | .284 |
| George Karl | 1984-86 | 61 | 88 | .409 | 5 | 1,131 | 756 | .599 |
| Tom Nissalke | 1982-84 | 51 | 113 | .311 | 7 | 371 | 508 | .422 |
| Chuck Daly | 1981-82 | 9 | 32 | .220 | 4 | 638 | 437 | .593 |
| Bob Kloppenburg | 1981-82 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 2 | 3 | 9 | .400 |
| Don Delaney | 1981-82 | 7 | 21 | .250 | 1 | 7 | 21 | .250 |
| Bill Musselman | 1980-82 | 27 | 67 | .287 | 4 | 85 | 210 | .288 |
| Stan Albeck | 1979-80 | 37 | 45 | .451 | 5 | 344 | 311 | .525 |
| Bill Fitch | 1970-79 | 304 | 434 | .412 | 5 | 944 | 1,106 | .460 |