New Cavaliers Coach Kenny Atkinson Got a Raw Deal In Brooklyn

The Cavaliers may have landed a gem in Kenny Atkinson, who actually did some good things in Brooklyn before unceremoniously losing his job a few years ago.

April 17, 2023; Sacramento, California, USA; Golden State Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson during the second quarter in game two of the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Cavaliers announced that they will be hiring Kenny Atkinson as their new head coach on Monday, beginning what will hopefully be a more successful era of Cavaliers basketball.

Atkinson had been serving as an assitant for the Golden State Warriors the past three seasons and was also a member of the Los Angeles Clippers staff for the 2020-21 campaign.

But before that, Atkinson three-plus seasons as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, which means that he will be reuniting with Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert in Cleveland.

The 57-year-old took the Nets job in 2016 when the franchise was a complete and utter laughing stock (I guess that still applies today). The team had won 21 games the year before. The roster was littered with names like Sean Kilpatrick, Isaiah Whitehead and even Randy Foye.

Moreover, the Nets had posted just two winning campaigns over that last decade, with both of them coming in 2012 and 2013.

So, it wasn't exactly like Atkinson was preparing to pilot a world beater. Brooklyn stunk, but Atkinson was prepared for the challenge.

And you know what? By Year 3 of Atkinson's tenure, the Nets were back in the playoffs. Yes, they bowed out of the first round, but the fact that Atkinson had lifted such a putrid franchise back to relevancy was a major accomplishment in and of itself.

The Nets weren't loaded with talent, either. D'Angelo Russell was their best player that season. Spencer Dinwiddie was the No. 2 option. They had no legitimate big men outside of Allen. Nevertheless, Atkinson was able to guide Brooklyn to the postseason.

That ensuing summer, the Nets underwent drastic changes, landing both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in free agency in a massive offseason haul that was supposed to permanently alter the trajectory of the Nets' franchise.

Brooklyn knew going into it that it probably wouldn't have Durant for the following season, as he was recovering from the torn Achilles he had suffered with the Warriors in the finals that preceding June. Really, it was all about the 2020-21 campaign. Everyone knew that.

That didn't stop Atkinson from losing his job.

Thanks to Durant being sidelined and Irving also missing the vast majority of the pandemic-shortened campaign due to a shoulder injury (he played in just 20 games), the Nets got off to a 28-34 start, resulting in Atkinson's firing.

Realistically speaking, it didn't come as much of a shock. The Nets had just brought in a pair of superstars, both of whom were known as volatile personalities. Not surprisingly, Atkinson had difficulty connecting with Durant and Irving (even though Durant didn't even step on the hardwood in 2019-20), which culminated in his dismissal.

Durant wouldn't even speak on the Nets' decision. Rumor had it that some players had tuned Atkinson out (I wonder who those players could be?), although nothing was ever really confirmed (that stuff typically never is).

Let's be honest here: coaching one of Durant or Irving is difficult. But trying to manage both of them? That is an exercise in futility.

Brooklyn is now on its fourth coach since canning Atkinson. So, maybe he wasn't the problem?

Look: NBA coaching in general is kind of a crapshoot. Everyone wanted to run Joe Mazzulla out of Boston last summer. Now, he is the toast of Beantown after leading the Celtics to a championship.

Generally, coaches are largely the product of the talent at their disposal. Yes, in-game adjustments, rotations and people skills matter, but nine times out of 10, coaches serve as scapegoats for much more significant issues within an organization. Like Atkinson with the Nets.

If anything, Atkinson should have been commended for his admirable job of player development with guys like Russell, Dinwiddie, Allen and LeVert. He also squeezed the most out of role players like Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. But because KD and Kyrie came to town, that was also forgotten...or at least swept under the rug in order to placate the Nets' two shiny new toys.

Look what has happened since.

Brooklyn nuked its attempt at trying to forge a dynasty with Durant, Irving and James Harden (who came a bit later) at the center. The Nets traded Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers in February 2022, a year after acquiring him from the Houston Rockets. They then moved Irving and Durant in separate deals midway through the 2022-23 campaign.

Now, Brooklyn is left with trying to navigate its way back out of a pit with virtually no draft capital over the next several years. Yet, somehow, the Nets are making Mikal Bridges all but untouchable. Good luck with that.

Meanwhile, Atkinson is now joining a progressing Cavaliers franchise that boasts a quarter of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and an old friend in Allen.

It seems safe to say that Atkinson won.