New York Knicks would be making a big mistake by overlooking Kenny Atkinson
The Athletic (subscription required) reported Wednesday that the New York Knicks are set to formally begin their coaching search. Aside from the many details in the article, one of the biggest revolved around one of the worst-kept secrets in the NBA – Tom Thibodeau is considered the overwhelming favorite to land the job.
With that said, there’s one other no-brainer candidate that should probably be the overwhelming favorite to land the job – Kenny Atkinson.
Atkinson was surprisingly released by the Brooklyn Nets days before the NBA entered the (now) more-than-two-month hiatus. It was a move that was surprising at the time and one that still doesn’t make sense (perhaps that will change when the Nets make their next coaching hire).
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New York Knicks should hire Kenny Atkinson
But the Nets’ loss should emerge as the Knicks’ gain. Without beating around the bush, the Knicks should hire Kenny Atkinson. In fact, they’d be foolish not to. Let’s look back to what Atkinson managed to accomplish during his short time with the Nets.
Atkinson was the Nets head coach for roughly three and a half seasons. During his first three years, the team struggled. That wasn’t surprising. During his first season with the team, the Nets only managed to win 20 games. The next season, they won 28.
During his third season with the club, the team really began to make the turnaround. After winning 42 games in 2018-19, the Nets managed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2014-15. A team that was considered the worst job in the NBA had quickly become an emerging market and had made it back to the postseason, at least partly thanks to the job that Atkinson had done.
Before getting his first head-coaching job in Brooklyn, Atkinson had spent four years as an assistant coach with the Knicks and then joined Mike Budenholzer’s staff when he was hired by the Atlanta Hawks.
During his three-plus season with the Nets, Atkinson was consistently considered one of the hottest young/new coaches in the league. During the playoffs last season, the Nets gave everything the Philadelphia 76ers could handle.
Even though the first-round series between the two teams only lasted five games, the Nets didn’t back down from the extremely talented Sixers. It was a sign of hope for the future of the Nets. Then, during the 2019 offseason, the Nets would go on to sign both Kevin Durant (via a sign-and-trade) and Kyrie Irving.
The narrative around the Nets had changed drastically. When Atkinson first took over as head coach of the Nets, Brooklyn was considered one of the worst franchises in the league but had now (with the help of Sean Marks) had evolved into a contender (when healthy).
Many assumed that Kenny Atkinson would be leading a super team in Brooklyn for the next few years. However, that all changed with the Nets elected to “mutually part ways” with Atkinson.
Just as he did when he first took over the job in Brooklyn, Atkinson would be an ideal fit for the Knicks and their current situation. New York is not ready to contend. They are in the initial stages of (perhaps) a long rebuild. Atkinson has been there, done that – and in a successful way.
While there are some internal connections that point to Thibodeau being the clear favorite, Kenny Atkinson should surely be strongly considered. Before his firing, Atkinson was viewed as one of the better coaches in the league. That shouldn’t have changed after his firing. It didn’t.
The Knicks should hire Kenny Atkinson as the team’s next head coach. If they don’t, this is a moment that could be looked back as another “what if” in their long history of missteps.