Can Kenny Atkinson Save the Cleveland Cavaliers?

After back-to-back disappointing playoff exits, first getting bullied by the New York Knicks and then receiving a kind gentleman’s sweep at the hands of the Boston Celtics this year, Cleveland fired JB Bickerstaff and have officially hired their new guy.

ESPN Sources: The Cleveland Cavaliers are hiring Golden State assistant Kenny Atkinson as the franchise’s next head coach and sides are working on a contract that’s expected to be completed soon. pic.twitter.com/x60kBtvQDQ

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 24, 2024

Kenny Atkinson was hanging on the Golden State Warriors sidelines for the last 3 years after serving as the Brooklyn Nets head coach from 2016-to-2020 until Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving held the organization hostage like Somalian pirates.

In 2022, Atkinson almost took over the Charlotte Hornets but elected to stay with the Warriors and I assume wait for a better job opportunity. I reckon the Cavs, a team that made it to the 2nd round, is a slightlyyyy better job than coaching LaMelo for, at most, 40 games, oh, and that accomplice.

But the Cavs are going into an offseason that could alter the trajectory of this team for the next half-decade.

Can Kenny Atkinson save the Cavaliers?

This franchise just made the second round of the postseason without LeBron James for the first time since 1993. Yet, the chances of them trading Donovan Mitchell feels like a coin toss.

Mitchell can become a free agent after next season and Cleveland wants to sign him to an extension but if not, they may attempt to get some assets in a trade instead of letting him walk off the team for nothing.

So who knows what this roster will even look like?

But assuming everything’s the same, the Cavaliers’s biggest problem last season was their lack of space.

Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley are redundant. Neither man can score on the perimeter or really dribble. They aren’t playmakers.

The team went on a huge run when Mobley was injured and they could play a forward capable of stepping behind the 3-point line, giving Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland room to penetrate without getting jumped by defenders.

So the last coach with some experience who spent time on Steve Kerr’s coaching staff before getting the opportunity to coach his own squad was Mike Brown.

Brown was on the same 2022 Warriors championship staff along with Kenny Atkinson. Mike Brown went on to Sacramento, winning the Coach of the Year award in his first year as he transformed a 30-win team into a 48-win club that only lost in the first round thanks to an all-time Old Man Logan Game 7 performance by Steph Curry.

Kenny can turn the Cavs into the East Coast (sort of) Kings.

But I have no idea what this roster will look like. Darius Garland could be playing alongside Victor Wembenyama. Donovan Mitchell could be a new Laker with Bronny James.

Good for Kenny taking a job when all of the incentives for taking the job could be removed. Good fucking luck.

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Can Kenny Atkinson save the Cavs?  Leave a comment below. Respond on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Or shoot me an email at Deadseriousmailbag@gmail.com. Let’s chat, bay-beeeee. Let me know if you think Atkinson is a bad coach, I have questions.