Kenny Atkinson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bret Brielmaier To Join Nets’ Staff

July 3rd, 2016 at 6:38pm CST by Arthur Hill

Cavaliers assistant Bret Brielmaier will join the Nets’ coaching staff, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. His hiring will complete the staff of new Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson, who was hired in April.

Brielmaier has been an assistant in Cleveland for the past three seasons. He worked under Mike Brown, David Blatt and Tyrone Lue.

Brielmaier started his NBA career with the Spurs in 2009/10 as a player development assistant and was later promoted to video coordinator.

Atlantic Notes: Atkinson, Olynyk, Draft

May 17th, 2016 at 5:11pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Nets team owner Mikhail Prokhorov indicated that he intends to exercise greater patience than in the past as the franchise attempts to rebuild itself under GM Sean Marks and coach Kenny Atkinson, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com relays. “We’re all on the same page,” Marks told the media during Atkinson’s introductory press conference on Monday. “In talking to Mr. Prokhorov — he sat in, and he was right there interviewing Kenny with me — he made it well clear that things were going to be done a little differently. He’s given us the reins to build this thing our way, and if it takes some time, it does. But we’ll be doing everything we can to turn this thing around quickly.”

Atkinson acknowledged that Brooklyn’s high coaching turnover rate under Prokhorov gave him pause, but trust in Marks helped him overcome his initial reticence regarding the post, Youngmisuk notes. “I think it gives you pause because you look at the past,” Atkinson said on becoming the Nets’ sixth coach since 2012. “But that’s why you meet with ownership, and that’s why my relationship with Sean was important, because he had an intimate conversation, and when I came up here to interview with them, that was part of my question. I was more than satisfied with the answers. We’re going to build something sustainable. We’re going to build something for the long term, so that excited me and convinced me.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

If the Sixers snag to No. 1 overall pick as well as the No. 2 or No.4 overall one, look for the team to target a playmaker and an outside shooter, Chad Ford of ESPN.com tweets. The scribe mentions the combination of Ben Simmons and Jamal Murray or Brandon Ingram and Kris Dunn as potential pairings.
The Celtics announced via press release that center Kelly Olynyk underwent successful surgery to repair damage to his right shoulder. He will begin a rehabilitation program immediately, according to the team, but no timetable was given for Olynyk’s return to action. The 25-year-old still has one year and $3,094,013 remaining on his current contract.
The Nets worked out former Michigan State center Matt Costello today, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv relays (via Twitter). Costello is a potential late second-rounder, with Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress ranking him as the No. 71 overall senior.
Former Toledo power forward Nathan Boothe has workouts scheduled this week with the Nets and the Pistons, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops relays (via Twitter). Boothe is the No. 46 overall senior, per Givony’s rankings.

New York Notes: Conley, Rambis, McCullough

May 8th, 2016 at 1:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Nets will be shopping for a point guard this summer and may have a better shot at landing Mike Conley now that coach Dave Joerger has been fired in Memphis, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Conley, who averaged 15.3 points and 6.1 assists this season and led the NBA in assists-to-turnovers ratio, has said he wants to see how the Grizzlies’ offseason plays out before deciding to re-sign.

Lewis foresees a point guard shakeup in Brooklyn even if the Nets can’t lure Conley. He expects Jarrett Jack, who started 32 games before tearing his ACL, to be released, allowing the Nets to save all but $500K of his $6.3MM salary. Shane Larkin has a June 29th deadline to decide whether to exercise a $1.5MM option for next season. New coach Kenny Atkinson has a reputation for developing point guards and worked closely with Jeremy Lin when both were with the Knicks. Lin could be an option if he opts out of a deal with Charlotte that would pay him only slightly more than $2.2MM. Lewis writes that Rajon Rondo, Brandon Jennings, Ty Lawson, Seth Curry and Jordan Clarkson could be other targets, along with overseas players such as Milos Teodosic, Nando De Colo, Malcolm Delaney and Sergio Rodriguez.

There’s more out of New York:

The Knicks also have interest in Conley and might see their chances improving because of the events in Memphis, relays Marc Berman of The New York Post. That’s especially true if GM Chris Wallace, a huge supporter of Conley, leaves the Grizzlies as well, Berman writes.
Knicks president Phil Jackson may be repaying Kurt Rambis after costing him the head coaching job with the Lakers 17 years ago, Berman writes in a separate story. Rambis took over on the Lakers’ bench after Del Harris was fired in 1999 and expected to be named head coach after the season ended. However, late owner Jerry Buss hired Jackson, and Rambis’ coaching career was put on hold. Now the interim coach with the Knicks, Rambis is believed to be Jackson’s choice to lead the team next season.
Nets rookie Chris McCullough showed a lot of promise late in the season, but he will probably be brought along slowly next year, according to NetsDaily. McCullough, the 29th pick in last year’s draft, missed most of the season while recovering from an ACL tear he suffered at Syracuse. A 6’11” power forward with an impressive vertical leap and 3-point range, McCullough gives Brooklyn hope for the future, but the author speculates that Atkinson will phase him in gradually and may even send the 21-year-old to the team’s new D-League team for occasional seasoning.

Nets Notes: Atkinson, Vaughn, Development

May 1st, 2016 at 2:01pm CST by Will Joseph

New Nets coach Kenny Atkinson‘s contract is for four years and approximately $10MM, NetsDaily reports (on Twitter). With performance bonuses, Atkinson could earn as much as $12MM, NetsDaily adds. The Nets hired Atkinson, formerly the Hawks’ top assistant, on April 17th as the team’s sixth coach since it moved to Brooklyn prior to the 2012/13 season, following Avery Johnson, P.J. Carlesimo, Jason Kidd, Lionel Hollins and Tony Brown.

Here’s more on Atkinson and the Nets:

The Nets again moved swiftly Saturday and hired Jacque Vaughn to be the team’s top assistant. Brooklyn wanted to move fast on its coaching decisions to exemplify a new culture, which is essential in the hope of luring free agents this summer, NetsDaily writes. With Atkinson and Vaughn on board, the Nets appear to be prioritizing player development under new GM Sean Marks, which is an element that had been missing in recent years for Brooklyn, NetsDaily adds.
Pacers consultant Donnie Walsh, who was formerly the Knicks president when Atkinson was an assistant coach for New York, expects the first-year head coach to perform well in his new gig, as Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes in a lengthy profile. “I figured people would start noticing him. He’s got the talent,” Walsh said. “Some guys know the game, but just strategy, how to set up offense or defense. Kenny can teach the game. He’s in shape. I’d get a kick out of it. He’d say, I want you to go hard,’ and then lead it himself. [Players] are thinking, ‘[Expletive], if he can do it, I have to do it!’ … He’s like a little motor, the little battery that wouldn’t shut down.’’

Eastern Notes: Caldwell-Pope, DeRozan, Gores

April 26th, 2016 at 9:05pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Pistons shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is eligible to ink a rookie-scale contract extension this summer, but he says his focus is on improving his game and not on his next deal, David Mayo of MLive relays. “Yeah, I mean, why do it now? It’s not in my mind. I mean, it could happen. If it does happen, it happens. But right now I’m going to stay focused and get better,” Caldwell-Pope said. “Right now, I’m just going to let my agent handle all that. If you have any questions about that, I really can’t answer them. I let my agent answer for me. I don’t know. We haven’t really talked about it.” If Caldwell-Pope and Detroit are unable to reach an agreement by October’s deadline, he would be eligible to become a restricted free agent in the summer of 2017.

Team owner Tom Gores, one of the principals who will be involved in the Pistons’ future decisions regarding Caldwell-Pope, is involved in a bid to bring a Major League Soccer franchise to Detroit, Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press relays. Gores is partnering with Cavs owner Dan Gilbert on the venture, Ellis notes. “I’ve always believed a sports franchise is a community asset with the power to unite and inspire people,” Gores said in his official statement. “I’m excited to partner with Dan and help in Detroit’s resurgence. Together we have all the tools we need to make a new team successful.”

Here’s more from the East:

Raptors swingman DeMar DeRozan‘s struggles this postseason call into question whether or not he is worthy of a max salary deal this summer, should he choose to opt out of his current deal and become an unrestricted free agent, Steve Simmons of The Toronto Sun writes. The 26-year-old is averaging 13.3 points and shooting a woeful 29.6% from the field in four playoff outings. His player option for 2016/17 is worth $10.15MM, but he’ll almost certain decline it and end up with more than that.
The Nets hiring of the hard-working Kenny Atkinson as their new coach is another positive sign of the franchise trying to change its culture for the better, NetsDaily opines.
If the Wizards intend to maintain their “pace-and-space offense,” they need a playmaker off the bench who’s capable of sinking the long ball and should consider signing Seth Curry, Ben Standig of CSN Mid-Atlantic.com writes. The Kings combo guard averaged 16.4 points, 5.3 assists and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 45.9% from the field, including 48.9% from beyond the arc over Sacramento’s last seven contests, Standig notes. Curry, 25, has a player option on his deal for 2016/17 worth $1,015,696.

Eastern Notes: Bazemore, Pistons, Whiteside, Lin

April 24th, 2016 at 1:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Hawks‘ Kent Bazemore stands to significantly increase his $2MM salary as he heads toward free agency, but he tells Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe that he has been too busy to think about it. “Honestly, I haven’t had time,” Bazemore said. “It’s been a very aggressive year as far as scheduling, as far as the physical and mental load. I think in December, I had already played 300 more minutes than I had the whole last year. So physically, it was a lot.” Bazemore probably attracted a lot of suitors by averaging 11.6 points and 5.1 rebounds in his first full year as a starter with the Hawks. He was the team’s fourth-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder. Although he can expect to get plenty of offers this summer, Bazemore’s first choice is to remain in Atlanta. “Being able to be out there and play through your mistakes and have a coach [Mike Budenholzer] who takes it personal to coach you,” Bazemore said. “He loves my competitiveness and I love how competitive he is. It’s a match made in heaven.”

There’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Cleveland’s 3-0 lead over the Pistons in their playoff series has helped expose some of the changes that need to be made this offseason, according to David Mayo of MLive. The team could use another player who can create off the dribble, Mayo writes, along with more shooters and a reliable backup point guard. The Pistons will also look at what Tobias Harris has brought to the team since he was acquired in February and see how to compensate for the weaknesses in Andre Drummond‘s game.
The Heat were hurt by not having the taxpayer’s mid-level exception available last season, writes Bobby Marks of The Vertical. Miami had to use its room mid-level, which limits contracts to two years, to sign free agent center Hassan Whiteside. He emerged into a player who may demand a max contract this summer, and the Heat don’t own his Bird rights because he only had a two-year deal.
The hiring of coach Kenny Atkinson, who was Jeremy Lin‘s mentor with the Knicks, could give the Hornets point guard a reason to come to Brooklyn, according to NetsDaily. The Nets need backcourt help and may be interested in Lin, who passed on a $3.5MM mini-mid level offer from Brooklyn last season.

Atlantic Notes: Anthony, Atkinson, Larkin

April 21st, 2016 at 8:31pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Former Knicks swingman Landry Fields noted that New York could have evolved into an Eastern Conference power if it had waited to sign Carmelo Anthony when he hit free agency rather than gutting the team to acquire him from the Nuggets, Ian Begley of ESPN.com relays (ESPN Now link). “It would have been a major, major play for New York if we had kind of the young talent of [Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler] and Raymond Felton and Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo. It would have been a team that just would have been so impactful throughout the league and one that probably could have created a dynasty,” Fields said. “But I don’t want to speak too much to that because you don’t want to get [into] all of this, ‘Rah rah, what could have been’ because that’s not what happened. There were possibilities there for such an incredible team to be assembled but at the same time, we can’t harp on what never happened.”

Here’s more from out of the Atlantic Division:

Jeremy Lin, who’s set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, had all positives to say about new Nets coach Kenny Atkinson, who was an assistant with the Knicks when “Linsanity” broke out during the 2011/12 season, NetsDaily relays. “I’ve kind of been saying it was just a matter of time for him because I know how good he is, I know how much he was there for me in New York,” Lin said. “When you’re around him, you kind of understand there’s something different about him: his energy, his passion, the juice he approaches his work with. He doesn’t leave any stone unturned. He’s always the first one in, and I’m saying first one in by, like, hours.“
Nets point guard Shane Larkin, who has a player option for 2016/17 worth $1.5MM, says the coaching change from Lionel Hollins to Tony Brown this season hurt his development, notes Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. “It’s tough, especially as a point guard because you’re an extension of the coach on the floor,” Larkin said. “I mean, at the beginning of the year, there were several articles saying, ‘Oh, it’s Larkin’s breakout year, he’s finally found himself, averaging this and that, shooting well from the three.’ I was really comfortable with Coach Hollins. But after 37 games, to be exact, Coach Hollins was out of here and Billy King was released or whatever it was so it was like we didn’t really have a lot of direction. Coach Tony was kind of just handed the job like, ‘All right, here you go.’ It was kind of like, ‘Just like go play basketball.’ It’s just difficult, when I’ve now been with four coaches in three years. It’s definitely easier when you’re with a team for a while and you know what your coach wants and you know what he expects from you. He knows what you can do, he knows the pros and cons to your game and he could put you in a position to be successful.”

Coaching Rumors: Walton, Thibodeau, Atkinson

April 19th, 2016 at 11:14am CST by Chuck Myron

Coaching vacancies tend to dominate headlines this time of year, and this morning, with news about Luke Walton and Mark Jackson, is no exception. See more coaching-related items here:

Team president Phil Jackson, after speaking recently with Walton, told members of the Knicks organization that he doesn’t think Walton will leave his job as lead assistant for the Warriors, a source told Chris Broussard of ESPN.com, as Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com relays. One report referred to the conversation between Jackson and Walton as an interview for the Knicks head coaching position, but Walton, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and others dispute that idea. The one head coaching job that Walton would be likely to take would be the Lakers gig, according to Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times, but Byron Scott is still in that position and Lakers owner Jeanie Buss is reportedly in favor Scott remaining.
Some people around the league are convinced Tom Thibodeau will be the next coach of the Timberwolves, Woelfel writes in the same piece. Thibodeau has high level of comfort with Minnesota from his time there as an assistant coach from 1989-91, a source told Marc Berman of the New York Post. Still, potential openings with the Rockets and Lakers intrigue Thibodeau, Woelfel hears.
Two NBA executives told Woelfel that Hawks assistant Darvin Ham is likely to elicit serious consideration for head coaching jobs in the next year or two.
Multiple Hawks players, including soon-to-be free agent Kent Bazemore, lauded assistant coach Kenny Atkinson, who’ll take over the Nets head coaching job as soon as Atlanta’s playoff run is finished, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com details. Kyle Korver said Atkinson was a significant reason he re-signed with the Hawks in 2013, observes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Southeast Notes: Lin, Beal, Horford, Patterson

April 17th, 2016 at 8:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Hornets point guard Jeremy Lin says Hawks assistant Kenny Atkinson helped lay the groundwork for “Lin-sanity,” relays Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Atkinson, who will become the Nets’ new head coach once Atlanta’s playoff run is complete, aided in Lin’s development when both were with the Knicks. “I’ll text after a game at midnight, one o’clock when I go home,” Lin recalls, “and I’ll say, ‘Hey, can I look at those turnovers? Can I look at the upcoming team? How they run pick-and-rolls?’ And he’ll have the film ready when I walk into the facility the next morning. When I wasn’t playing much, we were working out before practice, and after practice, he was picking apart my game, teaching me what it’s like to play in Coach [Mike] D’Antoni’s system.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Restricted free agent Bradley Beal said he and backcourt partner John Wall both have to play better for the Wizards to be successful, according to J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic. The fourth-year shooting guard was limited to a career-low 55 games this season and was placed on a minutes restriction after doctors found “the beginnings of a stress reaction in his lower right fibula” in December. “It’s been a rocky year in terms of injuries, offense changing, getting used to playing with new guys on the team and adjusting to a few things,” Beal said. “We both should’ve had a better year than we had. We should’ve carried the team a little better than what we did. We both can attest to it.”
The Hawks‘ Al Horford stands to more than double his salary in free agency and may change the perception of who deserves a max contract, writes Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders. Horford is making $12MM this season, but when he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer after completing his ninth NBA season, he will be eligible for a contract starting at approximately 30% of the salary cap, or about $26MM. Hamilton says that may seem expensive for a player who has never averaged 20 points per game, but Horford will likely define the market for fellow free agents Pau Gasol, Dwyane Wade, Mike Conley and Harrison Barnes.
The Hawks sent Lamar Patterson back to the Austin Spurs of the D-League to finish their playoff series, according to Chris Vivlamore of The Journal Constitution. Atlanta recalled Patterson on Friday after Tim Hardaway Jr. suffered a groin injury.

Nets Hire Kenny Atkinson As Coach

April 17th, 2016 at 1:34pm CST by Will Joseph

The Nets have hired Kenny Atkinson as their new head coach, the team announced via press release and as Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reported minutes before the announcement. Atkinson is currently an assistant for the Hawks.

Bob Donnan / USA TODAY Sports Images

The two sides came to an agreement over the weekend after weeks of discussions, Wojnarowski writes. Atkinson is expected to stay with Atlanta throughout the Hawks’ playoff run, the Nets said. Atkinson is highly regarded as one of the league’s best assistants and has been Mike Budenholzer’s top assistant coach for the past two years. Atkinson has been with the Hawks for a total of four seasons.

Prior to joining Atlanta, Atkinson was an assistant coach for four seasons with the Knicks (2008-2012), helping the team reach the postseason in 2011 and 2012. Atkinson also spent one season as the director of player development for the Rockets (2007-2008).

“We are thrilled to announce Kenny Atkinson as our new head coach and to welcome him and his family to Brooklyn,” said Nets GM Sean Marks in a press release. “Kenny’s years of NBA coaching experience working under successful head coaches such as Mike Budenholzer and Mike D’Antoni have provided him with the foundation and experience we were looking for in a head coach. We believe that Kenny’s core principles, leadership, communication skills and exceptional background in player development make him an ideal fit for the culture we are building in Brooklyn.”

It is worth mentioning that Marks and Atkinson share the same agent. Tony Brown was Brooklyn’s head coach on an interim basis, but he never seemed like a front-runner to secure the job beyond this past season and his future with the team is not yet clear. The Nets fired Lionel Hollins in early January on the same day they reassigned former GM Billy King. Brooklyn finished 21-61 this season.

Several high-profile names were linked to the Nets’ coaching job. Brett Brown, who reportedly isn’t assured of keeping his job with the Sixers, along with Luke Walton, Mark Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy, Vinny Del Negro and Bucks assistant Sean Sweeney, were all reportedly in the mix for the Nets. Spurs assistant Ime Udoka was believed to be a leading candidate.

The decision to go with Atkinson is not a splashy one, and that is a different than moves the Nets have made in the past, as Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post tweets. Several members of the media, such as Frank Isola of the New York Daily News and Howard Beck of Bleacher Report, commended the Nets on their hire (Twitter links). Both scribes pointed to Atkinson’s work with Jeremy Lin while the coach and player were in New York together.

Atkinson is the first of several new coaching hires to take place across the league in the coming months. The Wolves dismissed interim coach Sam Mitchell, the Wizards fired Randy Wittman and the Kings parted ways with George Karl. The fate of Rockets interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff has yet to be decided. The Suns still need to make a decision regarding Earl Watson. The fate of Lakers coach Byron Scott remains up in the air as the team holds an option on his contract for next season. Knicks interim coach Kurt Rambis is expected to be interviewed for New York’s head coaching slot.