J.B. Bickerstaff, coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, disclosed that he received threats from gamblers last season and promptly reported the matter to the NBA.
When asked Wednesday night about sports gambling in light of comments from Indiana All-Star Tyrese Haliburton, who expressed feeling like a “prop,” Bickerstaff revealed that he had been contacted by gamblers.
“They got my telephone number and were sending me crazy messages about where I live and my kids and all that stuff,” Bickerstaff said before the Cavs’ game against the Miami Heat. “So it is a dangerous game and a fine line that we’re walking for sure.”
Bickerstaff informed security, and the gambler was subsequently located. “No charges,” Bickerstaff stated. “But they found him.”
As sports gambling continues to expand in the U.S., Bickerstaff, now in his fourth full season with the Cavaliers, acknowledged that his job has become more challenging.
“It brings added pressure,” he noted. “It brings a distraction to the game that can be difficult for players, coaches, referees, everybody that’s involved in it. And I think that we really have to be careful with how close we let it get to the game and the security of the people who are involved in it.”
“Because again, it does carry a weight. A lot of times the people who are gambling like this money pays their light bill or pay their rent, and then the emotions that come from that. So I do think we’re walking a very fine line and we have to be extremely careful in protecting everybody who’s involved.”
With fans able to bet on their phones in the arena — the Cavs have a sportsbook inside Rocket Mortage FieldHouse — Bickerstaff noted the line between gambling and the game has never been closer.
“There’s no doubt about it that it’s crossed the line,” he said. “The amount of times where I’m standing up there and we may have a 10-point lead and the spread is 11 and people are yelling at me to leave the guys in so that we can cover the spread, it’s ridiculous.
“But again, I understand the business side of it and the nature of the business of it. But I mean, it is something that I believe has gone too far.”
Following a recent game in Cleveland, Minnesota center Rudy Gobert said he felt gambling is “hurting our game.”
Gobert made the comments after making a “money” gesture toward official Scott Foster, implying gambling was influencing the way the game was being called. He was fined $100,000, the maximum that the NBA could give under terms of the collective bargaining agreement that went into place last year.
