CLEVELAND — The John Beilein era in Cleveland officially has a start date.
On Monday, the NBA unveiled its entire schedule for the 2019-20 regular season, including all 82 games that will comprise Cleveland's upcoming slate. Beilein, who the Cavs hired as their new head coach in May, will begin his Cleveland tenure on October 23, when his new team faces the Orlando Magic on the road.
Days later, the Cavs will play their first regular-season game in the newly renovated Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse when they face the Indiana Pacers in their home opener on Saturday Oct. 26 at 8 p.m. LeBron James, meanwhile, will make just his second return to Cleveland since departing in free agency in 2018 when the Los Angeles Lakers play the Cavs at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on March 26.
That also happens to be the same day the Cleveland Indians will hold their 2020 season opener at Progressive Field. The Cavs will also play one nationally televised game this season: a November 8 matchup vs. the Washington Wizards, which will air on ESPN.
You can view the entirety of the Cavs' 2018-19 regular season schedule here.
Laying claim to a 40-year coaching resume, Beilein spent the last 12 years as the head coach at the University of Michigan, where he amassed a 278-150 record, two Final Four appearances and a pair of Big Ten titles. At 66-years-old, Beilein possesses no previous NBA experience and is taking over a team still in the early stages of a multiyear rebuild.
Laying claim to the second-worst record in the NBA last season (19-63), the Cavs accelerated their youth movement this offseason, selecting three players in the first round of the NBA Draft. Point guard Darius Garland, swingman Dylan Windler and guard Kevin Porter Jr. join a Cleveland roster that currently includes veterans such as Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr., as well as second-year guard Collin Sexton and third-year forward Cedi Osman.