Atkinson relished tenure in Brooklyn

Former Nets coach leading league-best Cavaliers

December 18, 2024 By John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Former Nets coach Kenny Atkinson has led his Cavaliers to the top of the NBA standings. He posted a blowout win in his return to Brooklyn Monday night. AP Photo by Pamela Smith

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Both before and after his return to his first NBA head-coaching home, Kenny Atkinson had nothing but plaudits for Brooklyn and the organization that gave him his first big gig.

“Brooklyn breathes basketball,” said the 57-year-old Long Island native in describing his four years as Nets coach from 2016-2020.

“You walk into a deli, or you walk into a pizza joint, and people know the game and they love the game,” he added.

Atkinson walked into Downtown’s Barclays Center with his league-best Cleveland Cavaliers and walked out with a 130-101 victory, but not quite like John Travolta strutting down 86th street in Bensonhurst.

That’s not the humble Huntington, N.Y. native’s style.

A basketball lifer from St. Anthony’s High School in his home town, Atkinson played collegiately at the University of Richmond before competing professionally in the now-defunct Continental Basketball Association and the United States Basketball League.

Following an international career that saw him journey through Europe, Atkinson got an ill-fated try out for the East River rival New York Knicks in 1991.

He finally made it to the NBA as an assistant coach with the Knicks in 2008, spending four years there before working in Atlanta for another four seasons.

But then came his big break.

Atkinson was called on by general manager Sean Marks to rebuild a Nets franchise that had gone through three coaches in its first four seasons in Brooklyn and won one playoff series despite an exorbitant payroll.

Then the Nets decided to scale things down with a little-known coach and an emphasis on player development.

“I was a little crazy,” Atkinson admitted Monday. “I was desperate to make it. I didn’t want to fail. I really got after it, but I knew even after two years in Brooklyn, it was bad for my health.

“It was almost like we’re at the bottom,” he added. “We’re the worst team in the league. There was a desperation to get better.”

The Nets went 48-116 in Atkinson’s first two seasons before reaching the playoffs in 2018-19.

He helped guide Brooklyn back into the postseason the next year, but resigned in March before the playoffs began and a few months before Marks lured twin superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to the Nets.

Ex-Net Jarrett Allen helped the Cavaliers beat the Nets at Barclays Center Monday in Kenny Atkinson’s return to Brooklyn. AP Photo by Pamela Smith

Refreshed and rejuvenated after assistant stints in Los Angeles with the Clippers and Golden State, where he picked up his first NBA championship ring in 2022, Atkinson was ready for another head coaching job.

He certainly found an oasis in Cleveland, where the Cavaliers won 15 games in a row to start this season and currently own the league’s top record at 23-4 following their win at Barclays.

“I do feel freedom to coach those guys harder … because that’s how they want to be coached,” Atkinson said of Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen, both of whom played under him in Brooklyn.

First-year Nets coach Jordi Fernández had to swallow a tough loss against Atkinson’s Cavaliers here.

However, much like Atkinson, he is walking into a massive rebuild, especially after the Nets dealt starting point guard Dennis Schröder to the Warriors on Sunday.

Hired by Marks to bring Brooklyn back to NBA relevance, the 41-year-old Fernández refuses to make excuses for the Nets’ recent malaise, which has seen them lose a season high-tying three in a row and six of seven since an inspiring 9-10 start.

While Atkinson goes off to seriously contend for an NBA title, Fernández and the Nets will travel to Toronto on Thursday night to end their most recent skid.

“I just want to see a better fight.” Fernández said following his team’s worst loss of the year.
Atkinson admittedly fought through some tough years in Brooklyn as well before hitting his stride as an NBA coach.

“It’s a great basketball city,” he gushed.

Rookie Reece Beekman could make his Nets debut Thursday in Toronto after arriving here in the deal that sent Dennis Schröder to Golden State. AP Photo by Jeff Chiu

NOTHING BUT NET: Guards De’Anthony Melton and Reece Beekman, the players Brooklyn got back for Schröder last weekend, haven’t suited up for the Nets yet, and Melton won’t until next season. The North Hollywood, California native and USC alum is recovering from surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament. “Losing Melt was a huge loss,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr told the Associated Press. “I want to say thanks to De’Anthony and Reece Beekman for everything — their contributions, their commitment, their effort. It’s always hard to trade guys and we wish them both well.” Melton was averaging 10.2 points in six games, including two starts, for the Warriors before going down with the injury Nov. 12 in a home win over Dallas. Beekman, a first-year two-way guard out of Virginia, only saw two minutes of action in two games off the bench in Golden State. He should be available come Thursday’s 7:30 p.m. tip-off in Toronto. “Yeah it’s been a crazy, crazy turn of events. For this to be my rookie year and not even halfway through the season for me to get traded is a little crazy,” Beekman told the New York Post. “But that’s life in the league. So I just got to be able to adjust fast. Just blessed for this opportunity. New situation but got to get settled in and be ready to hoop.” … Brooklyn will return to Barclays on Saturday to host Utah at 7:30 p.m.