Kenny Atkinson, Brooklyn’s head coach for the past three years, is known to have strong people skills and a willingness to get to know his players both on the court and off. For Atkinson, this season will be no different.
“I’m trying to personally establish relationships with the new guys, and quite honestly figuring them out off the court and on the court,” Atkinson said, according to Lewis. “We need time to build that relationship.
“You say, ‘Well, haven’t you been watchingDeAndre Jordan or Kyrie for a long time?’ It’s just different when they’re in your house and your system and you’re just trying to really figure it out. We’re still in the figuring-out stage. I know we’ve got to move quick. I know this thing goes quick, so we’re trying.”
Despite likely having to play without Durant this season, the Nets have a strong roster led by the likes of Irving, Jordan, Jarrett Allen, Spencer Dinwiddie and others as they look to compete for a spot in the playoffs next spring.
Here are some other notes out of the Atlantic Division tonight:
Signing Jamal Crawfordcould make a lot of sense for the Sixers,Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer contends. Crawford, who remains a free agent one week into the NBA season, averaged 7.9 points off the bench for the Suns last year. He’s currently represented by agent Aaron Goodwin of Goodwin Sports Management.
Knicks coach David Fizdale deserves part of the blame for the team’s horrendous start to the 2019/20 season, Tommy Beer of Forbes writes. New York has kicked off the season at 0-3, dropping games to San Antonio, Brooklyn and Boston.
Celtics center Tacko Fall made his long-awaited NBA debut on Saturday, checking in to cheers from an electric Madison Square Garden crowd against the Knicks, Marc Berman and George Willis write for the New York Post. Fall, a 7-foot-5 center on a two-way deal with Boston, tallied four points and three rebounds in just over three minutes of action.
Magic forward Jonathan Isaac gets lead billing this year in Zach Lowe’s annual ESPN.com column on his six most intriguing players of the upcoming season. As Lowe details, Isaac has put on about 15-20 pounds this offseason as he looks to bulk up his thin frame a little, and the team has high hopes for him going forward, particularly on the defensive end.
According to Lowe, it’s “hard to overstate” how much Orlando loves Isaac. In fact, sources tell Lowe that the Magic have “batted away” any and all trade inquiries on the former No. 6 overall pick. The front office views Isaac as a standard-bearer for the culture that the team is trying to create, Lowe adds.
As we look forward to seeing whether a breakout year is coming for Isaac, here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
In an in-depth story for ESPN.com, Tim Bontemps examines the two possible long-term paths for the Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who will be eligible for a super-max contract extension next summer. Antetokounmpo’s decision on whether to re-up with the Bucks or explore other options will have a massive impact not just on basketball in Milwaukee but on the entire NBA.
The role of Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson in the team’s successful foray into free agency this summer shouldn’t be overlooked, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post, who points out that both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant praised Atkinson in their initial comments to the media last week.
Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald offers a pair of hypothetical trade scenarios that could see the Heat add Chris Paul and Bradley Beal to their roster. Although Jackson’s suggestions would certainly appeal to Miami, there has been no indication that the Wizards will move Beal or that the Thunder will meet the Heat’s demands in a CP3 trade.
While Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam, and Marc Gasol figure to be mainstays in the Raptors‘ starting lineups, head coach Nick Nurse may shuffle through players for the other two spots, as Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca tweets. Meanwhile, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca explores whether it makes sense for the Raptors and Lowry to work out an extension sooner rather than later.
Free agent center Hasheem Thabeet will once again participate in workouts with the Knicks this week, agent Jerry Dianis tells Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link). Thabeet has spent a lot of time around the team lately, having worked out for New York in August and then again during the first week of September.
It remains unclear whether the Knicks are seriously interested in bringing Thabeet to training camp this fall. Currently, New York has a full 20-man roster, though if the team wants to sign the former No. 2 overall pick, it would be easy enough to create a roster spot by releasing a player with a non-guaranteed contract.
The Knicks’ projected 15-man regular season roster doesn’t feature any true centers besides Mitchell Robinson, so if Thabeet looks good, bringing him aboard for depth purposes could be appealing. However, the club has plenty of veteran power forwards who figure to see time at the five, including Taj Gibson, Julius Randle, and Bobby Portis.
Here’s more on both of New York’s teams:
Steve Popper of Newsday is skeptical that Frank Ntilikina will get the opportunity to play an increased role this season for the Knicks, even after the Frenchman’s impressive World Cup performance. As Popper notes, the team was willing to play stopgaps like Emmanuel Mudiay and Trey Burke over Ntilikina last season, and now may be more invested in getting Dennis Smith Jr. and Elfrid Payton regular minutes.
The Nets‘ new G League head coach, Shaun Fein, has a history with Brooklyn head coach Kenny Atkinson, as he tells Tom Dowd of BrooklynNets.com. Fein and Atkinson spent time together playing for French team Nantes during the 2001/02 season, with Atkinson provided crucial veteran guidance. “He kind of took me under his wing,” Fein said. “He was at the latter stages of his career and I was just beginning mine. I think as a first-year player, as an American, you’re in a foreign country, you don’t really know anything. … He kind of got me out of my comfort zone. ‘Hey, we’re going to go out, we’re going to go have dinner,’ and things like that. Kind of showed me how to live life as a basketball player in Europe. I was really appreciative of that.”
It’s already been reported that the Nets, among other teams, are interested in signing free agent forward Tobias Harris this summer. Now, according to Michael Scotto of The Athletic, it appears that the interest is mutual, with Harris to consider Brooklyn in free agency.
As noted by Scotto, Harris would fill somewhat of a void at power forward alongside young big man Jarrett Allen, andat only 26 years old, Harris would be able to grow alongside the Nets’ young core of Allen, Caris LeVert, and D’Angelo Russell, should he be re-signed.
Another potentially important factor in Harris’ free agency decision is his connection to Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson. Harris’ family and Atkinson both lived on Long Island when Harris was growing up and Steve Atkinson – Kenny’s brother – was one of Harris’ coaches in high school.
Harris, who turned down a four-year, $80MM contract extension from the Clippers last summer before being traded to the Sixers during the 2018/19 season, averaged a career-high 20.0 PPG this season, making himself one of the more sought-after free agents this summer.
Kenny Atkinson’s obsessive focus on individual player development led to his contract extension, Michael Scotto of The Athletic reports. ESPN reported on Monday that the Nets head coach would receive an extension, which Scotto confirms. Brooklyn is in playoff contention after winning 20 and 28 games the last two seasons.
“He has done arguably as good of a job as any coach in the league when you look at his improvement each year,” swingman Joe Harris said. “Obviously, I’m again biased just because I’m around him day in and day out and I see his approach and his competitiveness, his toughness, what he’s preached to us has trickled down to each one of the guys. He embodies what we are as an organization. We’re obviously not getting to this point without a leader like that.”
We have more on the Nets:
Members of Atkinson’s staff received two-year extensions, Scotto tweets. Atkinson’s staff include Bret Brielmaier, Chris Fleming, Jordan Ott, Pablo Prigioni, Jacque Vaughn, Adam Harrington and Travon Bryant.
The Nets will be an attractive free agent destination even if their playoff bid comes up short, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. Kyrie Irving will give them consideration, a source told Lewis. There’s also a general feeling that free agents respect what Brooklyn has built and the culture around the franchise. “We’ve competed and won enough games this year that they know that all we need is another All-Star, another dynamic player to take the franchise over the top,” forward Ed Davis told Lewis. “I think that’s what those top-tier free agents that’s what goes through their minds. That’s how they think.”
Allen Crabbeunderwent knee surgery on Thursday, likely ending his disappointing season.
The Nets are close to completing contract extensions with head coach Kenny Atkinson and his staff, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.
The agreements are expected to be signed in the near future. The news doesn’t come as a surprise, since Atkinson is a prime candidate for Coach of the Year. Brooklyn has a .5oo record with four games remaining and currently holds the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference.
Atkinson was an assistant with the Knicks and Hawks before he getting the head coaching job with the Nets. Atkinson’s current contract runs through next season. He signed a four-year deal worth approximately $10MM when he was hired.
February 10th, 2019 at 5:45pm CST by Eric Spyropoulos
After years and years of asset collection and patience being the primary focus of the Sixers‘ plans, Elton Brand has dramatically changed the team’s course of action in a few months. First it was trading for Jimmy Butler. Then this past week, Brand took it to another level by trading several future assets for Tobias Harris, effectively creating a “big four” in Philadelphia.
These moves were made because Brand’s mindset is that the Sixers are in a position to contend for a championship right now. As Brian Seltzer writes for the 76ers’ team website, Brand is acting with a sense of urgency and focus on building a true championship team this season.
Should the 76ers re-sign both Harris and Butler, the team would instantly become one of the more expensive in the league, but Brand should be satisfied with the group of talent he has assembled for the foreseeable future.
There’s more from the Atlantic division:
The Nets are finally getting healthy. While Spencer Dinwiddie will remain out for several weeks, the team has recently added Allen Crabbe and Caris LeVert back into the mix, which means there are new challenges to figure out when it comes to playing time and opportunities, as Brian Lewis analyzes for The New York Post.
The Nets have a big vacancy to fill until Spencer Dinwiddie gets back from a thumb injury in March and will give third-string point guard Shabazz Napier the opportunity to do so. As Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes, Napier has already seen his role increase.
Napier has scored over 18 points in each of his last three matchups and established himself as a potent downhill threat that Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson plans on utilizing in pick-and-roll situations.
Another option for Atkinson with Dinwiddie sidelined is two-way guard Theo Pinson. Pinson made a splash in his first taste of extensive action but will need to polish his jump shot if he hopes to be more than a glue guy.
There’s more out of Brooklyn:
The Nets are quietly confident that they could convince Anthony Davis to re-sign should they end up with him on their roster ahead of his 2020 free agency, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes, but that doesn’t mean going out and acquiring him is the franchise’s best move. The Nets, Lewis says, wouldn’t likely be able to trade for Davis without decimating their young core.
After playing professionally in Australia since 2010, Mitch Creek decided to sign a G League contract in hopes of earning himself an an NBA contract. That gamble paid off this week when the 26-year-old made his debut with the Nets after signing a 10-day contract. “If I played this entire G League season and didn’t get a call up then nothing changes. I’d be proud and I could go home with my head held high. Now it’s just the icing on the cake right now,” Creek told Tom Dowd of the Nets’ official site.
It’s been a breakout fourth season for Nets guard D’Angelo Russell and much of the credit for that goes to Brooklyn’s head coach Kenny Atkinson. “I give him a lot of credit for the teaching moments,” Russel said, per an Associated Press report. “My knowledge and IQ has really rose to another level just from learning from my mistakes and him breaking it down and us [dissecting] the film together.” Russell is averaging a career best 19.5 points per game and has put himself firmly in the All-Star reserve conversation.
Although Frank Ntilikina‘s name keeps popping up in trade rumors, Knicks head coach David Fizdale says the club views the second-year guard as a distributor and defender “that can help us win next year and into the future,” per Ian Begley of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Ntilikina’s role has been inconsistent in 2018/19, but Fizdale said he’ll likely have the youngster back up Emmanuel Mudiay at the point for at least the next few weeks.
For his part, Ntilikina has resolved to stop letting “expectations and outside noise” negatively affect his game, as Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News relays.
“I know me as a player and I know my ceiling is really high, higher than everyone thinks,” Ntilikina said.
Here’s more on the NBA’s two New York teams:
In addition to addressing Ntilikina’s role today, Fizdale also reiterated that the priority up front for the Knicks is to develop centers Luke Kornet and Mitchell Robinson. That means Enes Kanter may not have a spot in the regular rotation, Begley tweets. “I’m going to try my best to share those (center) minutes, but I do have a priority to grow (Kornet and Robinson),” Fizdale said.
With Kenneth Faried poised to clear waivers today, Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson expressed some regret that he couldn’t find more minutes for Faried during his time in Brooklyn (link via Greg Joyce of The New York Post). Jarrett Allen and Ed Davis were ahead of Faried on the depth chart at center, and Atkinson’s preference for playing small made it difficult to work in the big man at power forward. “He did everything we asked,” Atkinson said. “He was a great guy. He busted his tail. He was in shape. Just didn’t think he had great opportunity here.”
A NetsDaily column makes the case that Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson and general manager Sean Marks have earned long-term contract extensions, arguing that Brooklyn should lock the duo up sooner rather than later.
January 13th, 2019 at 9:26pm CST by Eric Spyropoulos
Heading into the 2018/19 season, many expected the Nets to make another jump in the standings as a result of their players developing and the quality depth they added in the offseason. However, there were no expectations that at the halfway point of the season, the Nets would be sitting in the 7th spot in the Eastern Conference despite not having their best player available for the past two months.
The Nets are 21-23, which is even more impressive when you consider the fact that they were 8-18 in early December. Instead of focusing on getting the best draft pick possible, Kenny Atkinson continued to believe that his team could turn it around, and that’s exactly what they’ve done. Since December 6, the Nets own the league’s 12th-ranked offense and 15th-best defense.
D’Angelo Russell has made strides as a playmaker and scorer, Spencer Dinwiddie is a top candidate for Sixth Man of the Year, and Joe Harris has provided elite shooting and floor-spacing.
Keep in mind that a lot of this recent run by the Nets has come without Allen Crabbe and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, not to mention Caris LeVert. The Nets use their depth and bench to their advantage on a nightly basis, which allows them to stay afloat when injuries strike.
With that being said, many still expect teams like the Pistons and Hornets to improve moving forward, while the Wizards have found new life since John Wall went down for the season. Do the Nets have enough top-end talent to lead them to the playoffs? Or will their strong bench and depth be enough for them to sneak in? Vote in the poll below and share your thoughts in the comments!