Published By: Siddarth Sriram
Last Updated: March 21, 2024, 19:57 IST
United States of America (USA)
Cleveland Cavaliers Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff (Credit: AP)
With sports activities playing rising within the U.S., Bickerstaff, who’s in his fourth full season with the Cavaliers, stated his job has grow to be tougher.
Cleveland Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff revealed he obtained threats from gamblers final season and reported it to the NBA.
While being requested Wednesday night time about sports activities playing following feedback made by Indiana All-Star Tyrese Haliburton, who stated he typically seems like a “prop,” Bickerstaff stated gamblers contacted him.
“They got my telephone number and were sending me crazy messages about where I live and my kids and all that stuff,” Bickerstaff stated earlier than the Cavs hosted the Miami Heat. “So it is a dangerous game and a fine line that we’re walking for sure.”
Bickerstaff stated he informed safety and that the gambler was situated.
“No charges,” Bickerstaff stated. “But they found him.”
With sports activities playing rising within the U.S., Bickerstaff, who’s in his fourth full season with the Cavaliers, stated his job has grow to be tougher.
“It brings added pressure,” he stated. “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.”
Because followers can guess on their telephones within the enviornment — the Cavs have a sportsbook inside Rocket Mortage FieldHouse — Bickerstaff stated the road between playing and the sport has by no means been nearer.
“There’s no doubt about it that it’s crossed the line,” he stated. “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 latest sport in Cleveland, Minnesota middle Rudy Gobert stated he felt playing is “hurting our game.”
Gobert made the feedback after making a “money” gesture towards official Scott Foster, implying playing was influencing the way in which the sport was being known as. He was fined $100,000, the utmost that the NBA may give underneath phrases of the collective bargaining settlement that went into place final yr.
(This story has not been edited by News18 workers and is revealed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)
