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The Brooklyn Nets are currently rebuilding to get back to the being title contenders after the breakup of the Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden. One of the prominent figures of the Nets in the beginning of that era was former head coach Kenny Atkinson and he is getting another shot at being a head coach.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported on Monday that the Cleveland Cavaliers are hiring Atkinson to be the new head coach following Cleveland’s firing of JB Bickerstaff earlier this summer. Atkinson is the winner of a coaching search that began towards the end of May for the Cavaliers and he now will get a team that is capable of going back to the playoffs with Donovan Mitchell as the leader.
Atkinson became the head coach of the Nets heading into the 2016-17 season following seven years as an assistant coach for the New York Knicks (2008-12) and the Atlanta Hawks (2013-16). In Atkinson’s first season, the Nets finished with a 20-62, the worst record in the NBA, and even though the team was in a full rebuild at the time, they did not have access to their first-round pick for the following draft due to a trade that brought them Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett from the Boston Celtics.
Atkinson then led the Nets to a 28-54 record in 2017-18 and had his best performance by guiding Brooklyn to a 42-20 record in 2018-19, leading to the franchise’s first playoff appearance under him. In June of 2019, Atkinson would get some major help as Durant announced that he would sign with the Nets with Irving signing shortly after Durant.
Atkinson did not get much from the superstar duo as Durant did not play during the 2019-20 season as he was recovering from an Achilles injury and Irving played in just 20 games before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. Atkinson coached the Nets to a 28-34 record in the season before stepping down in March, something that was regarded as a mutual parting from both sides.
Good to see for former Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson. Atkinson was 118-190 (.383) during his time with the Nets, but he took a rebuilding team from 20 wins in 2016-17 to 42 wins and a playoff appearance in 2018-19. Also, Atkinson is great for player development. https://t.co/ELkD5oH4RM
— Sharif Phillips-Keaton (@SharifKeaton) June 24, 2024