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John Beilein not expected to be with Cavs beyond 2019-20 season

The first-year head coach could be out sooner than that, however.

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Atlanta Hawks v Cleveland Cavaliers Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images

John Beilein’s time with the Cavs may soon be coming to an end.

As first reported by The Athletic, Beilein is not expected to remain the Cavaliers’ head coach beyond the 2019-20 season. Per The Athletic, and reporting from ESPN, the 67-year-old Beilein isn’t happy amid the team’s many losses this season and on-and-off court struggles, including and his son, Patrick, unexpectedly resigning from a head coaching job at Niagara without coaching a game.

The Cavs and Beilein have discussed him resigning as soon as this week, per ESPN, and he is expected to make a decision in the next 24-48 hours. If he were to leave now, associate head coach JB Bickerstaff would be the favorite to take over the job — perhaps on a permanent basis, considering the team viewed him as a long-term successor to Beilein.

What happens next remains to be seen. It’s unclear exactly when clarity will come, but maybe it’s best for everyone involved if Beilein leaves now as opposed to at the end of the season. The Beilein hire just hasn’t worked and everyone seems miserable and frustrated. Some version of a reboot on this year might make a weird season a bit more palatable for everyone. Better to admit that something isn’t working too early as opposed to too late.

“Every loss is hitting me really hard,” Beilein said after the Cavs lost to the Warriors before the All-Star break. “I don’t have a lot of answers for you though.”