Dan Gilbert's Influence All Over The Cavaliers Hiring Of Kenny Atkinson

Cleveland officially selected Atkinson as their next head coach over Pelicans associate head coach James Borrego

May 31, 2018; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert during the third quarter against the Golden State Warriors in game one of the 2018 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Cavaliers have a new head coach in Kenny Atkinson. But it's not without some controversy.

As Cleveland's search unfolded in recent weeks multiple reports linked the franchise to former Hornets head man turned Pelicans associate head coach James Borrego, to the point where he seemed like an imminent hire by the organization. Over the last week, however, something changed.

According to recent reporting, Borrego, was apparently a favorite of the Cavaliers front office staff, but it was team owner Dan Gilbert swayed the decision in Atkinson's favor. Per The Athletic, "Atkinson’s candidacy gained considerable momentum after a meeting between Gilbert and team executives."

That report follows a similar one from NBA Insider Mark Stein, who shared last week that Gilbert's relationship with legendary Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo also played a role in his penchant for Atkinson, whom Izzo apparently has a good relationship with.

Gilbert's influence in the Cavaliers final coaching decision is notable, considering his left turn hires in the last two head coaching hires by the organization. It's been well-documented that Gilbert was the key cog in the organization hiring David Blatt back in 2014. Famously, the decorated EuroLeague coach wound up being fired halfway through his second season with the franchise and replaced by Ty Lue who led the Cavs to their first every championship in 2016.

A similar thing happened in 2019, when Gilbert relied on his Michigan ties to select former University of Michigan basketball coach John Beilein to be the team's head man. In the end, Beilein's NBA tenure lasted just 54 games before he was dismissed and replaced by recently fired head coach J.B. Bickerstaff.

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While news of Atkinson likely being a Gilbert hire may produce an uneasiness for fans, who reference his spotty history in choosing head coaches, it's worth noting that Atkinson has been a front runner for the job ever since the Wine and Gold parted ways with Bickerstaff back on May 24.

Aktinsons comes to Cleveland after spending the last three seasons working under Steve Kerr on the Golden State Warriors coaching staff. Notably, he unceremoniously stepped down as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets during the 2019-20 season after falling out of favor with super stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. He spent that next season working under Lue with the Los Angeles Clippers.