by As the buzzer sounded on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ disastrous run in the Eastern Conference Finals, the buzzards began to swirl around head coach Kenny Atkinson. After all, he not only coached the most expensive team in the NBA to a brutal four-game sweep, but he also could not keep his foot out of his mouth along the way.
It began with a comment on Sunday, when Atkinson told reporters that the Cavaliers had taken two out of three games against the New York Knicks from an “analytical” standpoint.
Well, here we are on Wednesday, and Cleveland is out of the postseason, both literally and analytically.
And from here, only questions remain on what the next step is for owner Dan Gilbert’s beloved franchise. However, on Tuesday, it was announced that Gilbert will be retaining Atkinson’s services-much to the chagrin of Cleveland fans.
Despite back-to-back seasons of heartbreaking, disappointing departures from the NBA Playoffs, it’s hard to argue that this might have been the only course of action for the Cavaliers.
To begin, this franchise is already hurting for cash. Currently sitting in the much-maligned spot of the Double-Apron, if Atkinson were to receive the pink slip, Gilbert and president of basketball operations, Koby Altman, would be on the hook financially for the remaining three years of his contract.
With the Cavaliers looking to bring back James Harden and sign Donovan Mitchell to a long-term extension, in addition to potentially bringing in a superstar or two to get them over the hump, they really can’t afford to pay Atkinson upwards of $20-30 million just to keep him off the team.
And like it or not, the 58-year-old New York native has brought both moderate success and tangible stability to a franchise that was in desperate need of it.
Turn the clocks back to the summer of 2024; the Cavaliers had just gotten quickly cleaned up by the eventual champion Boston Celtics, after barely escaping the Orlando Magic in seven games in a first-round matchup that probably shouldn’t have gone that far in the first place. This came a year after Cleveland was bounced in five in their first postseason run-in with the Knicks, beginning the long line of playoff disappointment the Cavaliers find themselves in now.
That summer, instead of opting to shake up the roster, the Cavaliers brought in Kenny Atkinson as their head coach. Since then, the man has led the team to a 64-win first-seed finish in year one and brought Cleveland to its first Eastern Conference Finals without LeBron James since 1992 this season.
In a results-driven league, if any other head coach had done what Atkinson did for another franchise, it’s possible that this wouldn’t have even been a question.
There’s no doubt that championship-level success is imperative next season; Harden’s only getting older, Mitchell’s contract will (most likely) only get longer and pricier, and who knows what roster decisions will be made this summer.
Despite those expectations and moans from a fanbase of a franchise that has already seen a title, in a city that is known for its lack of success in sports, Atkinson has partially lived up to the expectations given by his contract. His version of the Cavaliers has already made it to the Conference Finals in just his second season, and he’s already taken home the Coach of the Year award.
So, yes, it does make sense that Atkinson is keeping the job-but that doesn’t mean he’s off the hook just yet.
Roster adjustments aside, for the Cavaliers to make it back to the NBA Finals, Atkinson himself needs to adjust his coaching style. Whether it’s sizing up the proper lineups and balancing size and fit, the man needs to learn how to call a timeout when necessary. If it wasn’t for Atkinson’s reluctance to call for a break during the Knicks’ storming run in the opening game of the series, who knows how the vibe would have shaken out for the Cavaliers?
It may not be the glamorous option to keep Atkinson, or the one Cavalier fans really want to see, but it’s the most obvious one. From here on out, it’ll be up to Atkinson to keep his own job-after all, it is a results-driven league, just ask Tom Thibodeau.
