Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson came under fire as his team endured a blowout sweep by the New York Knicks.
The Cavaliers won’t become the second consecutive team to fire a head coach after making the Eastern Conference finals, but Atkinson will have much to prove going forward. That said, he joined a rare group of Cavaliers head coaches with the recent conference finals appearance.
Cleveland arguably has two eras of franchise history. The LeBron James years and everything else.
With James, the Cavaliers made five NBA Finals appearances and one other East finals appearance between his two stints in the Rock and Roll Capital. Cleveland otherwise has only made three conference finals appearances without James, and Atkinson became the third coach in franchise history to lead the team that far.
Late former head coach Lenny Wilkins led the Cavs to the 1991-1992 East finals, where a Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls team ousted the Cavs in six games. Bill Fitch, also a late former Cavs head coach, led the team to the East finals in the 1975-1976 season, and his squad fell to the Boston Celtics in six games.
Atkinson will get a shot next season to do what neither Wilkins nor Fitch achieved in Cleveland — lead the team that far twice or to the NBA Finals. That’s also contingent on James not rejoining the Cavs for a third time this offseason.
Kenny Atkinson Confident in Current Cavs Crew
The Cavs will certainly need to make offseason adjustments.
New York is on a tear, the Celtics will have Jayson Tatum healthy again and the Indiana Pacers will have Tyrese Haliburton back. That’s in addition to the Detroit Pistons returning a strong young core and the Toronto Raptors and Orlando Magic looking confident about their futures.
Cleveland will be among the hunted in the East, but Atkinson believes the team as is can make another deep postseason run. That said, offseason changes are inevitable, with up to four players possibly headed for free agency.
“Listen, I have confidence — confidence in myself, first of all, confidence in the group. The roster talk, that’s for down the line,” Atkinson told reporters after Game 4. “Our front office has done a phenomenal job giving us a great roster.”
“Obviously, there’ll be decisions to be made like every summer, but I think we’re doing pretty well with those decisions since I’ve been here,” he added. “Just keep trusting. Trusting our process. Trust our collaboration.”
James Harden on Kenny Atkinson: ‘Ultimate Players Coach’
Cavs guard James Harden is one of those players with his future up in the air after joining the team via a midseason trade.
Harden could re-sign with the Cavs instead of running with his $13.31 million player option this offseason. Returning to Cleveland looks possible, and Harden had a good experience playing for Atkinson.
“Ultimate players coach,” Harden told reporters after Game 4. “He gets it. He understands his team.”
“But I think for Kenny, he did an unbelievable job of getting me acclimated as fast as possible to understanding what I was supposed to be doing out there,” he added.
Cavs Coach Kenny Atkinson Joins Rare Company Despite Sweep