Kenny Atkinson Cites Interesting Reason For Taking Cavaliers Job

New Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson had a lot of reasons for accepting the position, but this one may stand out more than all of them.

Atkinson Introductory Presser 01 / Spencer German

The Cleveland Cavaliers hired Kenny Atkinson as their new head coach late last month, and Atkinson seems thrilled to be on board.

Of course, it isn't just a one-way street. Yes, the Cavaliers wanted Atkinson, but Atkinson also needed to express significant interest in the job from his own end, and he did.

Atkinson recently sat down with Cavs sideline reporter Serena Winters and explained what was so appealing about the position.

Not surprisingly, he mentioned Cleveland's roster, which happens to include players Atkinson coached during his time with the Brooklyn Nets in Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert.

But Atkinson also cited another reason for his intrigue, which is not something that has historically been associated with the Cavaliers' organization: culture.

"The culture," Atkinson said. "When you're in this league long enough, you know which organizations are kind of building it the right way, and this is one of them."

Atkinson's comments speak volumes of how much Cleveland has grown and progressed as a franchise over the last several years.

Essentially, any success the Cavs have had over the last couple of decades can mostly be attributed to one player: LeBron James.

When James departed Cleveland for a second time in 2018, people wondered how the Cavaliers would pick themselves back up off the mat.

However, over these last several years, Cleveland has managed to build a legitimate squad thanks to shrewd drafting (e.g. Darius Garland and Evan Mobley) and big trades (e.g. Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen) to vault itself into the playoffs in back-to-back campaigns.

That Mitchell elected to sign a three-year, $150 million extension with the Cavs is further evidence that they are headed in the right direction.

We'll see if the Cavaliers can continue to build upon their newfound success with Atkinson at the helm heading into the 2024-25 season.