The Nets and Kenny Atkinson part ways

[MrDollarBills]

I’m just confused by the unnecessary theories. What if this is simply us doing what the Sixers WILL do with Brett Brown this summer?

I mean, it looks awful and I miss Kenny and I will always support him going forward but no freakin’ Nets fan will dare say with a straight face they even remotely had 100% confidence they could win an NBA Finals with him as a head coach in the most pressured situations.

We all had our doubts. My issue is what if Sean Marks has had the SAME doubts and questions. From the looks of it, I don’t personally think Sean was never a fan of instituting zone defense as a regular thing against opponents. I do think it became a question with the Big 3 or Kyrie, KD and DJ.

I do not think whatsoever in my entire fandom and we all know I HATED Avery, PJ, Lionel Hollins. I think Kenny was the best coach we’ve ever had since Bryon and Lawerence Frank but I did think we have questions about him.

He quite frankly, didn’t know how to sustain a team with expectations and I do think there were issues LAST season while we did make the playoffs and stuff.

You have to remember, we had beliefs of how he handled Russell and a Dinwiddie at times. We could’ve enjoyed that ride all we want but we don’t know the ins and outs of how we even got to that point.

I do think the relationship was not 100% healthy before we even had Kyrie Irving here and quite frankly, I think Kenny stopped having fun coaching some of these dudes who were newer already (Dinwiddie/Rodi) but obviously, it was clearly a build up and I believe there was some smoke that trickled to the DJ, Kyrie’s of the team which went directly to Tsai’s ear.

Hey I'm sure Tyron Lue will take us to the promised land, don't you worry my guy. I'm sure coaching Kyrie won't lead to another mental breakdown in midseason.

[Prokorov]

I liked Kenny a lot, I think he's one of the better coaches in the league.

I'll be honest, my patience with Kyrie is at an all-time low. This has been a bust of a season on his part (yeah, he's been hurt, but he wasn't exactly lighting the world on fire when he played...a consistent theme of a team playing better without you across multiple seasons in a large sample size is very daming, IDC what anyone says), and I mean, nobody is firing a head coach without the star player being aware of what's going on. At minimum, he didn't exactly go to bat for Kenny and fight for him to stay.

He better put up or shut up next season. For all the trash talk we've gone back and forth with regarding Kemba vs Kyrie...anyone that still takes Kyrie is insane at this point.

I've noticed you over the years having these type of takes and there tends to be a lot of PG blame/overreaction.

In the 20 games Kyrie played this season, he averaged 27.4 PPG, 6.4 APG, 5.2 RPG, 1.4 SPG, with only 2.6 TOV, on efficiency of 59.5% TS%, and 26.3 PER. That puts him among the elite tier of PGs in the league this season. Stats indicate that we're a top 5 offense with him, and a below average offense without him. Metrics also indicate that he has elite offensive impact in the league. This is despite a super frustrating season, where he was injured a lot, and team chemistry issues were apparent, we didn't get to gel as a team with Kyrie. So let's not go there with the "he wasn't exactly lighting the world on fire when he played", because on an individual basis, the impact was there. Teams haven't been consistently better without him, let's not play into idiotic narratives generated by Celtics fans, and the media.

Secondly, Kyrie IS a better player than Kemba, this is fact. This doesn't mean that Kemba isn't a better fit for the Celtics. Celtics are for now better off with Kemba instead of Kyrie, because Kemba is more willing to take a backseat to Tatum & Brown, who have IMPROVED a lot from last season. But you can compare statistics, raw or advanced, and you can compare team success, Kyrie is FACTUALLY better than Kemba. Third, you're placing blame on Kyrie for Kenny getting fired, when all we really have is a **** reporter saying so. If Kyrie got Kenny fired, why would it be now when he's not even playing for the rest of the season?

To add to that, ive already dispelled the myth that teams have played better without Kyrie.

in 6 of 8 seasons coming into this year kyries teams have had a better record WITH vs WITHOUT him. that includes 1 of the 2 years in boston. The only 2 seasons teams have played better without him:

15-16 cleveland when he was returning from off-season surgery. that year they won the NBA title and Kyrie was lights out in the playoffs.

18-19 celtics, well documented, and eveyone involved has said it wasnt just kyrie that derailed that team.

also to note, the celtics have been better this year without kemba in the lineup. it may just turn out they are a better team when tatum is their #1 option and brown is their #2

[Prokorov]

Watching Boston vs OKC on NBA TV and of course, the discussion is about the Nets firing Kenny

"The inmates are running the asylum".

Just another example the media is trying to keep his name in their mouth. That’s not something we can control and it doesn’t matter, tbh.

Celtics fans need to worry about their own team. LeVert ran up there and disrespected their asylum less than a week ago.

Does it though? If the consensus becomes that the Nets are being run by a cabal of three players who can run a good coach out of town on a whim it could impact our coaching search.

we arent looking for a coach. we are looking for a manager of stars. and those types will lineup to do it cause it iwll increase their worth

[Prokorov]

Does it though? If the consensus becomes that the Nets are being run by a cabal of three players who can run a good coach out of town on a whim it could impact our coaching search.

LBJ has had ‘coach killer’ and ‘LeGM’ labels attached to him wherever he’s gone. Kawhi got blamed for kickstarting the Spurs downfall by demanding out.
That didn’t stop teams and coaches lining up to get them.

There are only 30 NBA coaching jobs in the world. The opportunity to be in the media capital of the world and to coach two elite players would be extremely hard to pass up.

Yeah but that doesn't say anything about the quality of the coaches not passing it up. Are you getting someone better than Kenny?

Also Lebron and Leonard are top 4 players.

So is KD

[Stone]

Here we are with more questions than answers.....

Was Kenny fired or did he quit?

Why did Marks not try to convince him to stay?

If Kenny did lose a "Portion of the locker room"....Who were these malcontents and what was the problem?

Were our guys subversive and if so....which ones?

Why have we not heard from KD or Ky?

[TheNetsFan]

If Kenny did in fact want out, it's likely because he was butting heads with the big ego'd players (Kyrie, DJ, Dinwiddie, etc.), and Marks was basically telling him to yield some & make it work. We all know Kenny is very stubborn.

If Kenny and Marks thought that this was not going to work next year, it's best for Kenny to get out now. He's the victim & still has the image of a coach that has overachieved with lesser talent. If there was friction early next year with a healthy roster, his image would be tarnished. As it is, he'll be at the top of the list for many coaching vacancies this offseason. I'd personally love to see him re-unite w/ DLo.

It's also very evident that the quartet of KD, Kyrie, DJ & Temple expect to all play major minutes if not start. I could see the latter 2 guys feeling threatened by their "backups" like LeVert/Harris and especially Allen. It makes you wonder which overpaid veteran we're going to end up dealing Allen, Prince & picks for.

[Prokorov]

If Kenny did in fact want out, it's likely because he was butting heads with the big ego'd players (Kyrie, DJ, Dinwiddie, etc.), and Marks was basically telling him to yield some & make it work. We all know Kenny is very stubborn.

If Kenny and Marks thought that this was not going to work next year, it's best for Kenny to get out now. He's the victim & still has the image of a coach that has overachieved with lesser talent. If there was friction early next year with a healthy roster, his image would be tarnished. As it is, he'll be at the top of the list for many coaching vacancies this offseason. I'd personally love to see him re-unite w/ DLo.

It's also very evident that the quartet of KD, Kyrie, DJ & Temple expect to all play major minutes if not start. I could see the latter 2 guys feeling threatened by their "backups" like LeVert/Harris and especially Allen. It makes you wonder which overpaid veteran we're going to end up dealing Allen, Prince & picks for.

As much as this sucks cause im ride or die with Kenny... looking back this isnt super uncommon when superstars team up. Riley stepped in and fired van gundy to coach the original heatles. the cavs fired a coach like every year with lebron/kyrie/love. T Kidd got byron scott fired here at his first season. it worked out for all those teams in the end.

i assume its going to be Lue. but i have a shred of hope its Becky Hammond, ties to marks and it would be awesome to be the first team with a female coach

[MrDollarBills]

So per Shams there was a lot of internal tension going on and Irving, Durant and Jordan weren't feeling Kenny. They had a team meeting after the Memphis blowout and guys got called out for not stepping up and Kenny wasn't being clear on roles and other things (which Vaughn alluded to). KD told the team that they weren't showing championship habits.

I expect a lot of turnover this summer.

[DarkXaero]

So per Shams there was a lot of internal tension going on and Irving, Durant and Jordan weren't feeling Kenny. They had a team meeting after the Memphis blowout and guys got called out for not stepping up and Kenny wasn't being clear on roles and other things (which Vaughn alluded to). KD told the team that they weren't showing championship habits.

I expect a lot of turnover this summer.

Yep, there is a lot of info in that Athletic article, and I suggest every single Nets fan to read it, since its credible reporting, not baseless stuff. If anyone can't read it, I can't post the entire article, but I can try my best to sum it up.

My takeaways:

-The locker room/team (this doesn't include KD/Kyrie) clearly had its frustrations with Kenny throughout the season over lack of defined roles and lack of communication
-A growing sense that KD/Kyrie did not see Kenny as right HC for next season
-BUT KD/Kyrie DID NOT call for Kenny being fired (presumably also didn't do anything to save his job for reason above)
-Heated, and intense locker room discussions during HT at Boston, and postgame Memphis loss. (Dinwiddie and DJ called out)
-After that Grizzlies loss, players also critiqued Kenny (to Kenny)
-DJ's role was an issue, it does not seem to be a direct factor, but part of the problem regarding lack of defined roles/communication
-Front office had the pulse on the situation
-Kenny felt like he did not want to delay the inevitable, and asked out (Marks didn't lie, it was ultimately a mutual decision at least on the timing)
-It seems like NO player asked for Kenny to be fired, and they were surprised when they learned of it
-No mention of Tsai meddling in any sense

While people will naturally shift majority of the blame on the players, I think Kenny is clearly at fault here (not absolving the players of blame). It seems like Kenny had a lot of communication issues with the players, and you cannot have that as a head coach. I thought the DJ/Allen thing must have been cleared up between them, but it seems like it really wasn't. I don't think Kenny was prepared to coach a team with raised expectations.

[Prokorov]

So per Shams there was a lot of internal tension going on and Irving, Durant and Jordan weren't feeling Kenny. They had a team meeting after the Memphis blowout and guys got called out for not stepping up and Kenny wasn't being clear on roles and other things (which Vaughn alluded to). KD told the team that they weren't showing championship habits.

I expect a lot of turnover this summer.

I'm Glad KD is involved in that way,... shows he is invested. these guys have won titles. they know how hard it is to get past lebron or kawhi

[Prokorov]

So per Shams there was a lot of internal tension going on and Irving, Durant and Jordan weren't feeling Kenny. They had a team meeting after the Memphis blowout and guys got called out for not stepping up and Kenny wasn't being clear on roles and other things (which Vaughn alluded to). KD told the team that they weren't showing championship habits.

I expect a lot of turnover this summer.

Yep, there is a lot of info in that Athletic article, and I suggest every single Nets fan to read it, since its credible reporting, not baseless stuff. If anyone can't read it, I can't post the entire article, but I can try my best to sum it up.

My takeaways:

-The locker room/team (this doesn't include KD/Kyrie) clearly had its frustrations with Kenny throughout the season over lack of defined roles and lack of communication
-A growing sense that KD/Kyrie did not see Kenny as right HC for next season
-BUT KD/Kyrie DID NOT call for Kenny being fired (presumably also didn't do anything to save his job for reason above)
-Heated, and intense locker room discussions during HT at Boston, and postgame Memphis loss. (Dinwiddie and DJ called out)
-After that Grizzlies loss, players also critiqued Kenny (to Kenny)
-DJ's role was an issue, it does not seem to be a direct factor, but part of the problem regarding lack of defined roles/communication
-Front office had the pulse on the situation
-Kenny felt like he did not want to delay the inevitable, and asked out (Marks didn't lie, it was ultimately a mutual decision at least on the timing)
-It seems like NO player asked for Kenny to be fired, and they were surprised when they learned of it
-No mention of Tsai meddling in any sense

While people will naturally shift majority of the blame on the players, I think Kenny is clearly at fault here (not absolving the players of blame). It seems like Kenny had a lot of communication issues with the players, and you cannot have that as a head coach. I thought the DJ/Allen thing must have been cleared up between them, but it seems like it really wasn't. I don't think Kenny was prepared to coach a team with raised expectations.

do you have a link?

[MGrand15]

So per Shams there was a lot of internal tension going on and Irving, Durant and Jordan weren't feeling Kenny. They had a team meeting after the Memphis blowout and guys got called out for not stepping up and Kenny wasn't being clear on roles and other things (which Vaughn alluded to). KD told the team that they weren't showing championship habits.

I expect a lot of turnover this summer.

Yep, there is a lot of info in that Athletic article, and I suggest every single Nets fan to read it, since its credible reporting, not baseless stuff. If anyone can't read it, I can't post the entire article, but I can try my best to sum it up.

My takeaways:

-The locker room/team (this doesn't include KD/Kyrie) clearly had its frustrations with Kenny throughout the season over lack of defined roles and lack of communication
-A growing sense that KD/Kyrie did not see Kenny as right HC for next season
-BUT KD/Kyrie DID NOT call for Kenny being fired (presumably also didn't do anything to save his job for reason above)
-Heated, and intense locker room discussions during HT at Boston, and postgame Memphis loss. (Dinwiddie and DJ called out)
-After that Grizzlies loss, players also critiqued Kenny (to Kenny)
-DJ's role was an issue, it does not seem to be a direct factor, but part of the problem regarding lack of defined roles/communication
-Front office had the pulse on the situation
-Kenny felt like he did not want to delay the inevitable, and asked out (Marks didn't lie, it was ultimately a mutual decision at least on the timing)
-It seems like NO player asked for Kenny to be fired, and they were surprised when they learned of it
-No mention of Tsai meddling in any sense

While people will naturally shift majority of the blame on the players, I think Kenny is clearly at fault here (not absolving the players of blame). It seems like Kenny had a lot of communication issues with the players, and you cannot have that as a head coach. I thought the DJ/Allen thing must have been cleared up between them, but it seems like it really wasn't. I don't think Kenny was prepared to coach a team with raised expectations.

This is a good breakdown of the article but I put the blame 100% on the players. This stuff wasn't a problem before.

There was also the sense that Kenny was NOT willing to back down and appease the players if he disagreed. Good to hear that he has a backbone.

[DarkXaero]

So per Shams there was a lot of internal tension going on and Irving, Durant and Jordan weren't feeling Kenny. They had a team meeting after the Memphis blowout and guys got called out for not stepping up and Kenny wasn't being clear on roles and other things (which Vaughn alluded to). KD told the team that they weren't showing championship habits.

I expect a lot of turnover this summer.

Yep, there is a lot of info in that Athletic article, and I suggest every single Nets fan to read it, since its credible reporting, not baseless stuff. If anyone can't read it, I can't post the entire article, but I can try my best to sum it up.

My takeaways:

-The locker room/team (this doesn't include KD/Kyrie) clearly had its frustrations with Kenny throughout the season over lack of defined roles and lack of communication
-A growing sense that KD/Kyrie did not see Kenny as right HC for next season
-BUT KD/Kyrie DID NOT call for Kenny being fired (presumably also didn't do anything to save his job for reason above)
-Heated, and intense locker room discussions during HT at Boston, and postgame Memphis loss. (Dinwiddie and DJ called out)
-After that Grizzlies loss, players also critiqued Kenny (to Kenny)
-DJ's role was an issue, it does not seem to be a direct factor, but part of the problem regarding lack of defined roles/communication
-Front office had the pulse on the situation
-Kenny felt like he did not want to delay the inevitable, and asked out (Marks didn't lie, it was ultimately a mutual decision at least on the timing)
-It seems like NO player asked for Kenny to be fired, and they were surprised when they learned of it
-No mention of Tsai meddling in any sense

While people will naturally shift majority of the blame on the players, I think Kenny is clearly at fault here (not absolving the players of blame). It seems like Kenny had a lot of communication issues with the players, and you cannot have that as a head coach. I thought the DJ/Allen thing must have been cleared up between them, but it seems like it really wasn't. I don't think Kenny was prepared to coach a team with raised expectations.

do you have a link?

https://theathletic.com/1662495/2020/03/09/inside-all-that-went-into-the-nets-and-kenny-atkinson-parting-ways/

[DarkXaero]

So per Shams there was a lot of internal tension going on and Irving, Durant and Jordan weren't feeling Kenny. They had a team meeting after the Memphis blowout and guys got called out for not stepping up and Kenny wasn't being clear on roles and other things (which Vaughn alluded to). KD told the team that they weren't showing championship habits.

I expect a lot of turnover this summer.

Yep, there is a lot of info in that Athletic article, and I suggest every single Nets fan to read it, since its credible reporting, not baseless stuff. If anyone can't read it, I can't post the entire article, but I can try my best to sum it up.

My takeaways:

-The locker room/team (this doesn't include KD/Kyrie) clearly had its frustrations with Kenny throughout the season over lack of defined roles and lack of communication
-A growing sense that KD/Kyrie did not see Kenny as right HC for next season
-BUT KD/Kyrie DID NOT call for Kenny being fired (presumably also didn't do anything to save his job for reason above)
-Heated, and intense locker room discussions during HT at Boston, and postgame Memphis loss. (Dinwiddie and DJ called out)
-After that Grizzlies loss, players also critiqued Kenny (to Kenny)
-DJ's role was an issue, it does not seem to be a direct factor, but part of the problem regarding lack of defined roles/communication
-Front office had the pulse on the situation
-Kenny felt like he did not want to delay the inevitable, and asked out (Marks didn't lie, it was ultimately a mutual decision at least on the timing)
-It seems like NO player asked for Kenny to be fired, and they were surprised when they learned of it
-No mention of Tsai meddling in any sense

While people will naturally shift majority of the blame on the players, I think Kenny is clearly at fault here (not absolving the players of blame). It seems like Kenny had a lot of communication issues with the players, and you cannot have that as a head coach. I thought the DJ/Allen thing must have been cleared up between them, but it seems like it really wasn't. I don't think Kenny was prepared to coach a team with raised expectations.

This is a good breakdown of the article but I put the blame 100% on the players. This stuff wasn't a problem before.

There was also the sense that Kenny was NOT willing to back down and appease the players if he disagreed. Good to hear that he has a backbone.

It wasn't a problem before because the team had no expectations. That has changed. Kenny can't be a HC of a team that's not rebuilding anywhere, if he's not going to improve himself in this sense.

[Stone]

^^ It's breaking on ND. And it makes a lot of sense, I'm inclined to believe it.

The only thing I don't buy 100% is that it was a forgone conclusion that Kenny would be gone over the summer. But I guess it does make sense with Kenny leaving on his own terms. I think he should have went down fighting, hear the guys out and make adjustments. To just say some of the team is upset with their roles and up and quit is not what I would have expected from Kenny.

[tjumper78]

a nyk fan here. was pretty shocked to see this news. ive always rooted for the nets (when not playing vs knicks), and i hope you guys dont sign thibs for the sake of kyrie's b*tchass.
lots of knicks fans including myself are praying that we sign atkins asap.

[MrDollarBills]

Well, I will take back what I said about DJ getting Kenny fired. It looks like he didn't do anything of the sort.

Kyrie and KD didnt buy in and Kenny wasn't clear with communication and he didnt want to back down. Looks like this was a forgone conclusion.

[Prokorov]

Well, I will take back what I said about DJ getting Kenny fired. It looks like he didn't do anything of the sort.

Kyrie and KD didnt buy in and Kenny wasn't clear with communication and he didnt want to back down. Looks like this was a forgone conclusion.

Reading the article this seems alot less about Kyrie/KD.

The article is fantastic, props to Dark for pointing it out. And i agree basically with his takes on it. Here are mine:

-Shams makes chystal clear, this was NOT a directive for Kyrie/KD and they were surprised to learn the news like all the players were. When marks awnser "did kyrie have something to do with this" with "no more than any of the 17 players" he was being genuine.

-dinwddie/DJ seemed to be the biggest drivers of the rift, although the article mentions often it was several players. There seemed to be a disconnect on players defined roles. i took that to mean:

** DJ was told he would start or thats what he expected and is closing games but isnt starting
** Dinwiddie seemed to be unclear on the pecking order between him, levert, and kyrie when the 3 were there and now him and levert maybe?

There was clearly a HUGE blowout halftime and after the game in boston and a team meeting where kenny said lets clear the air. KD said something along the lines of the team isnt playing with championship habits

Also, it has become clear Kenny initiated the timing, that he basically wanted to quit now before being fired later. If marks was the one initating this and firing him, he would have consulted with Kyrie/KD first, which clearly didnt happen. so to me Kenny had to have approached marks.

I think Kenny was a perfect fit for the 25 and under nets underdawgs. he isnt the perfect fit for a veteran team with stars.

Also, this all seemed to be kept in house under wraps, and other than the team calling out dinwiddie for not playing up to his abilities, there seems to be no issue betweem players, just between players and staff

[TheNetsFan]

The more you read, the more it seems like the biggest reasons Kenny is gone is Jordan & Dinwiddie. Dinwiddie definitely seems cocky enough to where he thinks he's part of the KD/Kyrie package, and the clear third star on the team. I fully expect that despite him being the "recruiter" he'll be the odd man out & dealt in a trade at some point in the future.

Dinwiddie was Atkinson's greatest success. It felt at times that Kenny showed favoritism when it came to Dinwiddie over superior players like DLo & LeVert. Now, Dinwiddie is likely the straw that broke the camel's back & led to Kenny's departure.

[MGrand15]

The article is great and really gives us insight on the feeling of the team. Doesn't change my opinion of the move at all though. I'm not buying that this was a Kenny problem. Or that he had a communication problem. Or that he's just a coach for young, developing teams. Dudley and DMC are vets who have been on elite teams before. They know how a good coach operates. They've gone out of their way to praise Kenny.

Dinwiddie and DJ being upset about their roles is ridiculous. Says a lot about the team.

Front office is really going to clean house this offseason. KD's comments was the most important quote in the article. IDK who's staying but at this point, I wouldn't be shocked if the only leftovers are KD, Kyrie, DJ, Temple.