Cavs Planning To Roll With Starters For Preseason Visit To JB Bickerstaff, Pistons

October 15, 2024

It’s just a preseason game, but Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson intends to bring back his starters on Wednesday night. Well, all but one (more on that in a minute).

Atkinson confirmed the plan was to play the “core four” of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. All but Allen sat for the previous game against the Pacers. The other three played about 19 minutes in the preseason opener, a home loss to the Bulls.

As for Wednesday, there’s at least a little storyline, which isn’t something you say about the preseason very often. But this marks the Cavs’ first meeting with coach J.B. Bickerstaff, fired at the end of last season. He landed the Detroit job a few weeks later.

Missing from this game again will be the fifth starter, Max Strus, who suffered a hip contusion in the opener. Atkinson made it sound as if it’s nothing serious. Same goes for reserve Sam Merrill, who also missed the previous outing with wrist soreness.

“Just being extra cautious with both of them,” Atkinson told reporters at the practice facility.

Bickerstaff or not, these are all just warmup games. Atkinson wants his main players to get some reps — though it’d be surprising if any logged more than 19 or 20 minutes. We’ll be doing this until April. And that’s just the regular season.

Besides, the Cavs will get to see Bickerstaff again soon — next Friday (Oct. 25) in the home opener, to be exact.

Before that, they will visit the Bulls in the preseason finale on Friday, then open the regular season at Toronto on Wednesday, Oct. 23.

The Pistons, who now have their third coach in three seasons, last made the playoffs in 2019 as a No. 8 seed. No one is expecting them to go this year, though they should be better with the additions of Bickerstaff and some quality veteran players.