Kenny Atkinson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Central Notes: Bickerstaff, Prigioni, Atkinson, Jones, Bucks Defense

March 31st, 2025 at 8:12pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Not only did five players get ejected for a brawl between the Pistons and Timberwolves on Sunday night, but Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and Timberwolves assistant coach Pablo Prigioni also got the boot.

It wasn’t a coincidence as the two coaches had a verbal altercation, according to The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski and Hunter Patterson.

“There was things said by their assistant coach and I’m in the same boat our guys are in,” Bickerstaff said. “We’re going to defend each other. I’m not going to let people say belligerent things about my guys. It’s that simple. He said what he said, he knows what he said.”

Prigioni reportedly made comments about Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart, who was one of the players ejected. Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo and Stewart had some verbal exchanges shortly before the brawl that spilled into the stands.

“From my understanding, he was trying to have a conversation with the referee about one of their players who’s kind of prone to these situations,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “And then their bench, J.B. in particular, had an issue with it, and they exchanged words.”

We have more from the Central Division:

Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson felt his team got a little complacent during the last couple of weeks. Atkinson let off some steam prior to their game against the Clippers on Sunday, according to The Athletic’s Joe Vardon, and the team responded with a 127-122 victory. “There was a very (explicit) message with a lot of choice words from Kenny that got us fired up,” center Jarrett Allen said. Atkinson commented, “We needed to, maybe for psychological reasons, get this game and get it in a good manner.”
Tre Jones‘ return from a sprained left foot has apparently hit a roadblock. The Bulls guard was still experiencing pain and wearing a walking boot over the weekend, according to The Chicago Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley. Jones hasn’t played since March 20. After the injury occurred, the Bulls announced Jones would be out for at least two weeks.
The Bucks had an embarrassing outing against the Hawks on Sunday, allowing 82 first-half points and 145 overall. A familiar problem cropped up, The Athletic’s Eric Nehm writes. They were consistently broken down by dribble drives. “They had a simple game plan (Sunday). Spread the floor, catch it and just put your head down and force a drive. And we just could not keep the ball in front of us,” coach Doc Rivers said. “Is that scheme? Is that ability? I gotta watch (to see). I never fall on the old coaching (adage) ‘We didn’t play hard’ because I don’t believe that. But we didn’t play well defensively and we got beat off the dribble a lot. And that’s not good for us.”

Central Notes: T. Jones, Giannis, Haliburton, Atkinson

March 12th, 2025 at 11:53am CST by Luke Adams

As an undersized pure point guard who rarely takes three-pointers, Tre Jones doesn’t really fit the Bulls‘ blueprint, but he has impressed the team since being acquired from San Antonio in last month’s Zach LaVine trade, averaging 9.6 points and 3.7 assists per game on .538/.429/.905 shooting in his first 13 outings with Chicago.

“He’s got the ‘it’ factor,” head coach Billy Donovan said of Jones, per Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. “He really does. He’s just a winner. … You can look at size and length for his position and he probably doesn’t have any of those things. But he’s got really good speed. He’s really tough. He’s got a high IQ. He understands competition. He can really stay in the moment and compete.”

Jones played well for San Antonio in 2022/23 and ’23/24 as the Spurs’ primary point guard, putting up averages of 11.4 PPG and 6.4 APG on 48.0% shooting across those two years. But he took a back seat to Chris Paul this season and saw his playing time and production crater before he was dealt to the Bulls at the deadline.

Now, as he nears the end of his current contract, Jones is looking more like his old self, increasing his value ahead of free agency — and potentially making a case for Chicago to retain him, though that will likely depend on the team’s other offseason roster decisions.

“I know he’s going into free agency and we’ll see how that plays out,” Donovan said. “But when you talk about a guy you want to have for 82 nights — and I’m not saying he’s always perfect — but he understands competition. He understands what goes into it. That’s what you want.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

As we outlined last week, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is taking and making mid-range shots at a higher rate this season than he ever has before. Jamal Collier of ESPN digs deeper into that trend, noting that Antetokounmpo wanted to develop a reliable mid-range game in part to reduce the physical pounding his body was taking when he was relying more on playing inside and getting to the basket. “I’m in my thirties, obviously, (and) I believe that I have four (to) six years, still, of good basketball to give, but I got to be smarter,” Antetokounmpo said. “I got to be smarter in the way I play.”
The Pacers went 0-3 with Tyrese Haliburton sidelined due to a hip injury in the past week, culminating with head coach Rick Carlisle, frustrated by how his starters were playing, pulling all five of them at once in the third quarter of Monday’s loss in Chicago, as Dustin Dopriak of The Indianapolis Star details. So it was good news for Indiana that Haliburton was back in action on Tuesday vs. the division-rival Bucks. The star point guard capped his return by completing a ridiculous four-point play in the game’s final seconds to steal a win for the Pacers (Twitter video link). ESPN has the story.
In a subscriber-only story for The New York Post, Brian Lewis takes a look at how Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson has grown as a coach since he was “unceremoniously” pushed out the door by the Nets in 2020. “When you’re a first-time coach, you’re searching. You have your thoughts and ideas, but you’re searching for that identity,” said Atkinson, the favorite to be named Coach of the Year this season. “I think later on in Brooklyn as we got to that playoff that third year, I started to know. That’s when I really started (to think), ‘OK, I can coach in this league. I know what I’m doing. I kind of know what our identity is.’ Then the second time around, I was much more comfortable just coming in.”

Eastern Notes: Green, Giannis, Moore, Wizards

February 24th, 2025 at 7:55am CST by Luke Adams

When a buyout opportunity materialized for Javonte Green in New Orleans, Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson reached out to the veteran swingman to convey the team’s interest in him and to chat about a number of topics, including some not related to basketball, reports Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required).

As Fedor writes, Atkinson knew the 31-year-old from his time with the Warriors — the Cavs’ coach was an assistant under Steve Kerr when Green spent most of last season with Golden State’s G League affiliate in Santa Cruz. In addition to helping convince Green to sign with the Cavs, Atkinson encouraged Cleveland’s front office to complete the signing, Fedor adds.

The East-leading Cavs improved to 47-10 with their seventh straight win on Sunday, a hard-fought home victory over Memphis. While he didn’t play at all in Sunday’s game after officially joining the team earlier in the day, Green went through shootaround with the club and spoke about his decision to choose Cleveland.

“I just felt like here was the best fit for me,” Green said, per Fedor. “I’m a very team-oriented player and I think this team has that. I think it could be an easy fit for me.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

After missing six games due to a calf strain, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was on a restriction of roughly 24 minutes per night in his first two games back. Prior to Sunday’s contest vs. Miami, head coach Doc Rivers said that restriction would be loosened, though he didn’t specify the new upper limit, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Antetokounmpo ended up logging 32 minutes in Milwaukee’s win over the Heat and racked up 23 points, 16 rebounds, and seven assists.
Third-year wing Wendell Moore, who signed a two-way contract with the Hornets during the All-Star break, was born and raised in the Charlotte area and was thrilled to get the opportunity to join his hometown team, writes Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. “It was definitely surreal,” Moore said. “As a kid, we all dream of playing for our hometown team. Few get to do it, but when you do it, it’s definitely an exciting thing. Haven’t got to play a home game yet, but I’m looking forward to playing back at the crib. This team is fun. It’s an exciting team and a close group of guys. I’m excited to be here.”
Wizards newcomers Khris Middleton (ankle injury management) and Marcus Smart (right index finger injury management) both sat out on Sunday in the first half of a back-to-back set, notes Varun Shankar of The Washington Post. Head coach Brian Keefe declined to say whether the two veterans, who missed time with those injuries earlier this season, would continue to sit out one end of back-to-backs for the rest of 2024/25.

Central Notes: Atkinson, Pistons, Vucevic, Ball

January 24th, 2025 at 7:04pm CST by Luke Adams

When Boston lost to the Lakers on Thursday, it guaranteed that the Cavaliers will hold the best record in the Eastern Conference through February 2. That, in turn, ensured that Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson will coach one of the four All-Star teams on February 16 in San Francisco, while an assistant on his staff will coach another of those four squads, the NBA announced (Twitter links).

In past seasons, the head coaches for the teams with the best records in the East and West prior to the All-Star break would coach their respective conference in the All-Star Game. It’s a little more complicated this season due to the new four-team format, which is why both Atkinson and Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault will be bringing an assistant to All-Star weekend next month.

Here are a few more items of interest from around the Central:

The Pistons traded their 2021 first-round pick during the 2020 offseason as part of a sign-and-trade deal that sent Christian Wood to Houston. However, that pick included heavy protections and has yet to convey while being traded three more times since then, from Houston to Oklahoma City to New York to Minnesota. As Jared Ramsey of The Detroit Free Press observes, 2025 may be the year that pick finally changes hands — the Timberwolves will receive it if it lands outside of the top 13 and the Pistons are very much in the hunt for a playoff spot in the East at 23-21.
Prior to Thursday’s matchup with Golden State, Bulls center Nikola Vucevic said he didn’t view the game – against a team rumored to have interest in him – as an audition, per Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. “There’s been many rumors in the past where I then played that certain team I’ve been linked to or not, and it doesn’t really affect me because I don’t think that way,” Vucevic said. If it was a tryout, the veteran big man didn’t exactly ace it, matching his season-low with nine points in a blowout loss to the Warriors, notes Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune.
In a separate story for the Tribune, Poe wonders if guard Lonzo Ball might end up being the Bulls‘ best trade chip at the February 6 deadline. His injury history is obviously a significant red flag, but Ball is the only one of the team’s highly-paid trade candidates who is on an expiring deal and Chicago has a +7.4 net rating during his minutes this season. In fact, it doesn’t seem as if the Bulls are especially eager to move on from the former No. 2 overall pick, who “quietly commands the locker room,” Poe writes.

Stein’s Latest: Nets, Butler, Giannis, Suns, Nembhard, Coaches

January 12th, 2025 at 1:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nets are the only NBA team projected to have maximum-salary cap room during the 2025 offseason, but they have no plans to pursue Heat forward Jimmy Butler, who could be the biggest free agent on the market next summer, reports Marc Stein in his latest Substack article.

According to Stein, despite their impressive cap flexibility and stash of future draft assets, the Nets aren’t necessarily locked in on the idea of pursuing a star via trade or in free agency over the summer — if no favorable opportunities to land a star arise, they may simply be patient and continue building through the draft.

On the other hand, if Giannis Antetokounmpo were to become available, that would substantially alter the Nets’ plans, according to Stein, who says rumblings around the NBA suggest the Bucks forward would be Brooklyn’s “dream target” and that the Nets would make a push for him if Milwaukee were willing to trade him. That’s probably a long shot this year though, since have been no indications the Bucks would ever consider moving Antetokounmpo unless he specifically asked for it.

Here’s more from Stein:

Stein is the latest reporter to confirm that there’s strong mutual interest between the Suns and Butler. “I’ve heard they want him bad,” one league source told Stein. Still, until Phoenix can find a taker for Bradley Beal and get Beal to sign off on that destination, the Suns don’t have a path to acquiring the Heat forward.
Andrew Nembhard would be an ideal target for a team facing apron restrictions due to his $2.02MM cap hit, his long-term team control, and his lack of poison pill restrictions following his extension. However, Stein says the Pacers guard is considered one of the most valuable assets on Indiana’s roster and is viewed as essentially “off-limits” in trade talks.
Taking an early look at the Coach of the Year race, Stein describes Kenny Atkinson of the Cavaliers as the clear favorite and says he’d fill out his hypothetical ballot with Jamahl Mosley of the Magic at No. 2 and J.B. Bickerstaff of the Pistons at No. 3. Rockets head coach Ime Udoka earns an honorable mention.

Central Notes: Atkinson, Cavaliers, Ivey, Mathurin

January 8th, 2025 at 9:04am CST by Luke Adams

After finishing 22nd in the NBA in pace last season, the Cavaliers are playing at the sixth-fastest pace so far this season, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN, who notes that coaches and scouts around the league are praising new head coach Kenny Atkinson for embracing the strengths of his players while implementing his preferred style.

“It’s exactly the way Kenny wants to play,” one scout said. “The speed with which they play is so advantageous for (Evan) Mobley and (Darius) Garland, and it also helps cover up deficiencies for other players. … They’ve simplified things from last year.”

The 31-4 Cavaliers have the NBA’s best record and will carry a 10-game winning streak into a showdown with the West-leading Thunder (who have won 15 regular season games in a row) on Wednesday night.

Still, as impressive as Cleveland has been in the first half of this season, there are people across the league who remain somewhat skeptical about how the club’s style will translate to the postseason.

“I think they’re a really good regular-season team, but when the game slows down and is more targeted, I have some concerns,” said an assistant coach whose team recently faced the Cavs. “Can Donovan (Mitchell) and Darius make a bunch of shots when that happens? That’ll be the biggest question.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

The Cavaliers‘ front office is hesitant to risk messing with the chemistry in the team’s locker room in order to make a marginal deal ahead of the February 6 trade deadline, sources tell ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. That doesn’t necessarily mean Cleveland will stand pat, but it probably means that in order to make any deal of significance, the club would have to be pretty confident it would be a meaningful on-court upgrade.
Dr. Clint Soppe, a sports medicine doctor based in Los Angeles, tells Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press that a fibula fracture like the one Pistons guard Jaden Ivey suffered generally takes four-to-six months to fully recover. The Pistons haven’t ruled out Ivey for the season after he broke his leg last week, but that timeline suggests the odds are against him returning this spring. Still, it’s worth noting that Soppe hasn’t examined Ivey himself and can’t speak to his specific case.
Bennedict Mathurin‘s willingness to buy into his role has been an important factor in the cohesion of the Pacers‘ starting five, which has helped fuel the team’s run of nine wins in 12 games, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. “This is a winning brand of basketball that he’s playing now,” head coach Rick Carlisle said. “He’s learned some things. He’s realized some things. He and I have spent a lot of time talking about it and watching things. If he’s willing to run and take open shots, avoid the temptation to drive into crowds and try to draw fouls and play tough, hard-nosed defense, that’s a winning formula for a young player.” Mathurin will be eligible for a rookie scale extension during the 2025 offseason.

Central Notes: Mitchell, Pistons, Pacers, Bulls

January 3rd, 2025 at 3:33pm CST by Luke Adams

Donovan Mitchell‘s points per game (23.7), assists per game (4.6), shot attempts per game (18.3), and usage rate (30.1%) are all down from where they were last year, but the Cavaliers certainly haven’t missed that production from the star guard, winning 29 of their first 33 games this season.

As Brian Windhorst of ESPN details, Mitchell’s willingness to take a step back and defer to teammates has paid off in a major way — his three-point percentage is a career-best 41.5% and Cleveland has the NBA’s No. 1 offense (121.3 offensive rating).

“He was an All-NBA (caliber) player last year because of how much he did for them and having to play a lot at point guard,” an advance scout told Windhorst. “This year, he’s probably going to make All-NBA because he’s pulling back and encouraging his teammates to have bigger roles. … I’ll tell you what, they were a lot easier to defend last year when he was a one-man show.”

One reason for Mitchell’s dip in production is the fact that he’s averaging a career-low 31.5 minutes per game. As Windhorst explains, new head coach Kenny Atkinson helped develop a plan coming into the season to keep the five-time All-Star fresher and reduce the stress on his knee, which was an issue at times last season. It has paid off so far, as Mitchell has missed just one game and several of his teammates – including All-Star candidates Darius Garland and Evan Mobley – are enjoying career years.

“Donovan is so selfless and he empowers people. (Stephen Curry) is like this, too. They’re so positive, they know how to uplift others around them,” said Atkinson, a former Warriors assistant. “That’s the ultimate leader, right?”

Here’s more from around the Central:

Hunter Patterson of The Athletic explores how Jaden Ivey‘s extended absence due to a leg injury will affect the Pistons‘ rotation, while Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscriber link) posits that not having Ivey available will give the team an opportunity to experiment with lineups. Ausar Thompson and Malik Beasley are among the candidates to be promoted to the starting five, while Marcus Sasser and Wendell Moore could see increased roles.
The Pacers are hovering around .500 after making the Eastern Conference Finals last season and project to be a taxpayer next season if they bring back starting center Myles Turner, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic, who considers what the next move is for Indiana. A consolidation trade that moves out a couple of their higher-paid bench players may be in the Pacers’ best interests, Katz suggests.
After a week in which the Bulls needed overtime to beat the lowly Hornets and then were defeated by the lowlier Wizards, Joe Cowley calls out the front office in a column for The Chicago Sun-Times, arguing for roster changes sooner rather than later to ensure the team keeps its top-10 protected pick in the 2025 draft and adds a much-needed building block.

Daigneault, Atkinson Claim Coach Of The Month Awards

January 2nd, 2025 at 6:23pm CST by Rory Maher

The head coaches of the teams with the best records in the NBA have claimed the Coach of the Month awards for their respective conferences, the league announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

Mark Daigneault, who guided the Thunder to a 12-1 record in December, won the award for the Western Conference. Oklahoma City is currently 27-5, the second-best mark in the NBA and the top seed in the West.

Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson won the East’s award for the second consecutive time. Cleveland also went 12-1 last month and is currently 29-4, the best record in the league.

If the season ended today, Atkinson and Daigneault would almost certainly be two of the frontrunners for Coach of the Year. Of course, we’re only about 40% through the 2024/25 regular season, and a lot could change between now and April.

Chris Finch (Timberwolves), Taylor Jenkins (Grizzlies) and Tyronn Lue (Clippers) were the other nominees in the West, while Jamahl Mosley (Magic), Nick Nurse (Sixers), Quin Snyder (Hawks) and Tom Thibodeau (Knicks) were nominated in the East (Twitter link).

Central Notes: Atkinson, Okoro, Bucks, Giannis, Duarte

December 17th, 2024 at 1:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Visiting Brooklyn on Monday for the first time as the Cavaliers‘ head coach, Kenny Atkinson – who coached the Nets from 2016-20 – picked up a resounding win over his old team, with Cleveland blowing out Brooklyn by a score of 130-101. Magnanimous in victory, Atkinson made it clear he harbored no ill will toward the Nets for dismissing him midway through the 2019/20 season, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post.

“I don’t look at it that way. I just look at it as part of the story, right, part of your growth,” Atkinson said. “You have good things happen, you have setbacks, and — it’s like a player, how do you bounce back? And it was definitely a bounce back. And in the long run, the journey after Brooklyn really helped me, helped me grow as a coach. Who knows? If that doesn’t happen, maybe I’m not in Cleveland; I don’t improve as much as a coach if that didn’t happen. So I look at it more as a positive.”

While Atkinson wasn’t necessarily seeking revenge or vindication entering Monday’s matchup, he admitted that facing his former team provided an extra layer of motivation.

“I’m competitive, right? And when you have setbacks, you remember things, right?” Atkinson said. “And players do the same thing. If something happened or a team beat you or you get fired, you’re motivated. You’re motivated to prove people wrong; and that’s kind of how I took it. It’s a chip on your shoulder or whatever you want to call it. But there’s definitely some of that. I think any competitor feels the same way.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

Isaac Okoro, who has been the Cavaliers‘ starting small forward since November 4 with Max Strus still sidelined, will undergo further testing on a right shoulder injury he sustained in Monday’s win over Brooklyn, reports Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required).
Ahead of the Bucks‘ appearance in the final of the NBA Cup on Tuesday, Jamal Collier of ESPN and Eric Nehm of The Athletic explore how the team bounced back from its 2-8 start and the role Giannis Antetokounmpo has played in the turnaround, not just as an MVP-level performer but as a more confident leader. “He was being vocal, talking about things he wanted (on the court), talking before the game, things that the first couple years he didn’t really do as often as he does now,” Bobby Portis, who has been with the Bucks since 2020, told Collier. “It’s cool to see guys’ leadership go to another level. Especially at a time of the season when it was critical for us to get back to at least playing some good ball.”
Bucks rookies Tyler Smith and AJ Johnson aren’t playing much so far this season, but they’re poised to supplement their first-year salaries with lucrative bonuses as a result of the team’s NBA Cup run and are enjoying being part of the experience in Las Vegas. Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has the story and the quotes from the two 20-year-olds.
The Bulls have assigned fourth-year wing Chris Duarte to the G League for the first time this season ahead of the Winter Showcase, per the team (Twitter link). Duarte, who was acquired in the DeMar DeRozan trade in July, has played sparingly for Chicago this season and is on an expiring contract, so he figures to be a trade candidate at the deadline — playing for the Windy City Bulls in Orlando at the G League Showcase, which begins Thursday, will give him an opportunity to try to catch the eye of scouts and executives from around the league.

Udoka, Atkinson Earn Coach Of The Month Honors

December 3rd, 2024 at 8:28pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Ime Udoka of the Rockets and Kenny Atkinson of the Cavaliers have been named the league’s Coaches of the Month for games played in October and November, NBA Communications tweets.

Udoka took Western Conference honors as Houston finished November with a 14-6 record, the second-best mark in the conference. Mark Daigneault (Thunder), Taylor Jenkins (Grizzlies), Tyronn Lue (Clippers) and JJ Redick (Lakers) were the other Western Conference nominees (Twitter link).

The Cavaliers posted an NBA-best 17-3 mark in October and November, earning Atkinson Eastern Conference accolades. Jordi Fernandez (Nets), Joe Mazzulla (Celtics), Jamahl Mosley (Magic) and Tom Thibodeau (Knicks) were the other nominees in the East.