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Rick Bucher: ‘When Kenny Atkinson was the Brooklyn Nets head coach, he was literally given a preset substitution pattern based on the analytical profile of his bench players. I don't know if Atkinson has always been a hardcore analytics believer or he realized following them is the best way to get and keep a job, but he is apparently all in now. This is the same Atkinson who said in last year's conference finals against the Knicks that while his Cavs were down in the series three games to none, analytically they were actually ahead in the series 2-1. That is essentially saying winning is not the be-all and end-all. It is equally important to play analytically smart basketball.’
"With NBA Europe, and in cooperation with FIBA, I think we'll be even closer to the players, especially the European players," Kenny Atkinson said. "We are close now, but this is different. We will probably be able to evaluate the players better. We will be able to build closer relationships with the clubs here. Yes, we are close to the players now; we already have good relationships with the clubs, but having the NBA logo on the league changes things for the better, of course." Atkinson also added that he sees no downside to the project: "I think this is great for the players as well. It's really amazing. Obviously, I think there will be an economic boost. Players will earn more money and have more opportunities under the NBA umbrella. I don't see any negative aspects to this," he concluded.
Kenny Atkinson believes the NBA brand could significantly influence the European basketball landscape. “Having the NBA logo on the league will naturally change certain things for the better. I think it will be great for the players,” he added. “Frankly, I believe it will also generate economic growth. Players will have the opportunity to earn more money and receive more opportunities under the NBA umbrella. I do not see any downside to it.”
Do you see any budding Mike D’Antoni-style coaches in the NBA? Mike D'Antoni: They’ll do it better. Coaches keep getting better, and I don’t follow that close. I obviously follow guys like Kenny Atkinson, who was with me in New York. But everybody has their style and their demeanor, and it works all kinds of different ways. There’s not one way to play, and you got to do what’s best for your personnel, and that could be all kinds of different venues. And when that happens, you’re a good coach. Whether it’s my style or somebody else’s style, it doesn’t matter.
“Jonathan likes the Cavs, likes (coach) Kenny Atkinson, and (star) Donovan Mitchell likes him,” Turner, Kuminga’s agent, said in a brief interview. Turner said Kuminga is fond of Cleveland generally and spent two months training there last summer. Kuminga has a relationship with Atkinson from when the coach was an assistant under Steve Kerr at Golden State. While both sides confirmed interest, it is unclear which avenue the Cavs might take to acquire Kuminga if they decide on that path.
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Jonathan Kuminga has been in a holding pattern because of James’ decision. No tangible progress toward a deal between the Lakers and Kuminga has been made over the last couple of weeks, a source told The Post. The Cavaliers also have significant interest in Kuminga, sources said. Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson coached Kuminga while Atkinson was an assistant coach with the Warriors from 2021-24. If James doesn’t go back to Cleveland for a third stint, it increases the likelihood of Kuminga joining the Cavaliers, who would likely make other moves to bring in Kuminga in addition to a sign-and-trade.
Sam Amick: "The most telling behavior thing publicly is Kenny Atkinson just openly talking on SiriusXM Radio about them being in the running for maybe the best player of all time. And his energy, he is going to take some flak from Cavs fans if they don't get him. He was maybe a little over his skis there and I am not sure if that is a sign of optimism from him or something else, but yeah, I am not sure which way it is going to go."
Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns, in attendance for the 2026 ESPY Awards at Lincoln Center on Wednesday night, took a swipe at one of the team’s playoff foes as New York looked to take home the Best Team award. “You can pick up all the analytics and statistics you want,” Towns said during a pre-show interview Wednesday with ESPN’s Kevin Negandhi and Christine Williamson. “Analytically, we should win this one. We should win this one analytically.”
SiriusXM NBA Radio: “We’re in the mix for the greatest player of all time” Cavs Head Coach Kenny Atkinson discusses with @WorldWideWob, @DarthAmin, and Ryan McDonough what it would be like to have LeBron return to Cleveland.
The Cleveland Cavaliers also continue to have interest in Kuminga, league sources told ESPN. Kuminga has a high level of comfort with Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson, who coached Kuminga during his first three NBA seasons as a lead assistant for the Golden State Warriors. The Cavaliers, however, are currently wrapped in the LeBron James sweepstakes, leaving the Lakers as the most aggressive pursuer prior to the James domino falling.
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The Eastern Conference hierarchy could easily shift again, should LeBron James choose a third tour with Cleveland -- which would wipe away some of the stink from the Cavaliers' largely noncompetitive conference finals -- or pick another East team such as Philadelphia. "LeBron can influence the balance of power in the conference," the executive said. "He's not a driver, not on a night-to-night basis. [But] having him around, he picks and chooses his spots. "I wonder how he would fit with Kenny Atkinson?" (The executive wasn't the first to wonder how James would react to Atkinson, who bizarrely claimed, "Analytically, we've won two of the three [games]" as his Cavaliers trailed 3-0 to the Knicks.)
What are you most proud of this season? Kenny Atkinson: I think we were 17-16 at one point. It looked like the wheels were falling off. Just how we kept it together, with expectations being so high, and we started playing a lot of young guys. We got through that with great leadership, starting with Donovan Mitchell, then Evan Mobley, even before De'Andre Hunter came. Those guys kind of kept the ship afloat. As we got healthier, we really went on some good runs. Listen, success is relative, right? It's all about perspective. We did take a jump. We'd gone to the conference semifinals three years in a row, and this year we made it to the conference finals. I know it wasn't the greatest result, but we kind of ran into a buzzsaw. We could have played better, but we did make a jump. We did improve. There are steps to this thing. It just doesn't happen overnight. When you're one of the final four teams in the NBA, I think you're doing something right. We obviously have the hunger and ambition to do more, so I think it was a successful season on many fronts.
Was the equation harder to figure out, or did it become easier once James Harden came into the fold? Kenny Atkinson: It's a great point, and I was worried about that. How do we get this thing going in two and a half months? The thing that changed that equation was James Harden's IQ and ability. And I always know James is a system, just being by himself. But it was more like he's played in so many different scenarios in the NBA and his career that he adapted. It's probably the fastest adaptation I've ever seen with a player. We play a little differently, a little differently offensively, a little differently than what he's used to. He took off, took him a week before he was like, knew all the plays, knew our concepts. And it's like, so maybe if it's a different player, the adjustment would be a little harder. So he made our job as coaches so much easier. I always joke with us; maybe you could thrive in Princeton's offense. Or a double low post system. I don't think there's a system that could slow James Harden down. He's that talented, but also that cerebral. So, that made the transition a lot easier.
Rose’s first big move was one of the organization’s great triumphs. Tom Thibodeau, a no-frills head coach, was hired after a search that included Jason Kidd and Kenny Atkinson, among others. There was some haggling over who Thibodeau had to accept on his staff — and the deal nearly fell apart at the last minute — but ultimately they agreed on a five-year contract.