Kenny Atkinson knows a thing or two about coaching chaos. His stint with the Brooklyn Nets started as a feel-good underdog story—scrappy team, player development, vibes all around. Then came Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, and suddenly, coaching felt less like running a basketball team and more like defusing a bomb every day. But now? With the Cleveland Cavaliers? Oh, Atkinson is living.
After Cleveland’s 124-105 beatdown of the New York Knicks, Atkinson was asked about how his players respond when he gets tough on them. His response? Pure coaching nirvana. “They’re coachable,” he said, almost in disbelief. Then he doubled down: “You say, shouldn’t everybody be coachable? Not necessarily.“
If that doesn’t scream coaching PTSD from Brooklyn, I don’t know what does. Let’s be real—Kenny Atkinson’s time with the Nets was a masterclass in how not to let superstar egos take over a locker room. And yet, we all know how that turned out.
TAMPA, FLORIDA – APRIL 27: Kevin Durant #7 and Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets converse during the first half against the Toronto Raptors at Amalie Arena on April 27, 2021 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
Durant and Irving were supposed to be his ticket to championship contention. Instead, they were his ticket out of Brooklyn. Atkinson wanted structure, discipline, a system. Kyrie? He wanted to run the team like it was an open mic poetry night. Durant? He just wanted to hoop and wasn’t interested in getting involved in the drama. Eventually, the tension exploded, and Atkinson was the odd man out.
A locker room with zero drama? Unheard of
Fast forward to 2025, and the Cavs aren’t just winning—they’re listening. When Atkinson tells them to do something, they actually do it. Revolutionary concept, right? “I’ve never been with a team at the pro level like this where you give them something and they execute it,” Atkinson said postgame, almost like he was waiting for a hidden camera crew to pop out and reveal it was all a prank. It’s not.
The Cavs are 61-15, just a few games away from locking up the East’s top seed, and they play exactly the way Atkinson wants them to. No bizarre trade demands, no cryptic Instagram stories about “free thinkers.” No questioning whether the Earth is round. Just basketball.
Atkinson even admitted that he and his assistants have to be careful about what they tell the players to do because they actually listen. That had to feel like an out-of-body experience after Brooklyn.
Nov 8, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson reacts in the first quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
Against the Knicks, Atkinson watched his team flip the switch in the second half, outscoring New York by 26 points. Donovan Mitchell went off for 27 points, Jarrett Allen dominated in the paint, and the Cavs put on a masterclass in execution.
Atkinson specifically highlighted how they stuck to the game plan, saying, “They’ll have dialogue if they don’t like something… but once we set the standard, they are extremely coachable.”
For a guy who spent years navigating superstar mood swings in Brooklyn, that’s the biggest win of all. The Cavaliers aren’t just making Atkinson’s job easier—they’re making him happy.
And after what he went through with the Nets, that’s nothing short of a miracle.
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