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Perpetual motion: Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson is 'high energy' hoops addict, Steve Kerr says
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- Perpetual motion: Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson is 'high energy' hoops addict, Steve Kerr says
New Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson is almost always on the move.
Atkinson has a habit of bringing goggles and a swimwear on NBA road trips, so he can exercise in hotel pools, and the former University of Richmond point guard is often on the court with players during workouts.
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Even in coaching staff meetings, Atkinson usually doesn't sit still, at least not for long.
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr took note while Atkinson , 57, served as one of his assistants for the past three seasons.
"I used to give him a lot of crap," Kerr said with a laugh during a recent phone interview with the Beacon Journal.
Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson and coach Steve Kerr look on against the Boston Celtics during Game 4 of the 2022 NBA Finals on June 10, 2022 in Boston.
Kerr would sometimes ask Atkinson how many steps his smart devices had tracked during their meetings. Raised in Northport, New York, Atkinson is believed to hold a personal record of five or six miles, a feat accomplished during a meeting in the buildup to the Warriors winning the NBA title in 2022.
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"It's the New Yorker in him. He's a pacer," Kerr, 59, said. "I'm the laid-back Southern California guy. I'm just sitting in the chair, and Kenny's pacing.
"He's high energy. He's going to pace during meetings. But it's a good thing 'cause he gets his steps in without even having to go to the gym."
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr reacts with assistant Kenny Atkinson after a technical foul during a game against the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 25, 2022, in Phoenix, Arizona.
When the Cavs open the 2024-25 regular season Wednesday night at the Toronto Raptors , the franchise's Atkinson era will begin in earnest. For Cleveland 's offense, increased pace and movement are expected to become stylistic staples.
The approach sounds like a certain coach who's known for his intensity, right?
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Coming off a 4-1 series loss to the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Cavs fired coach J.B. Bickerstaff in May and hired Atkinson as his replacement in June.
Then Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman proceeded to keep last season's roster intact. Virtually every Cavs player of note from 2023-24 is back, a clear indication the organization has bet Atkinson will provide a coaching boost substantial enough to result in a deeper playoff run.
Atkinson gained previous NBA head coaching experience in three-plus seasons at the helm of the Brooklyn Nets (2016-20). He compiled a regular-season record of 118-190 and a playoff record of 1-4. The 2018-19 Nets qualified for the postseason and fell to the Philadelphia 76ers in five games.
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr reacts to a foul call talking with assistant Kenny Atkinson during a game against the Charlotte Hornets Oct. 29, 2022, in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr views new Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson as more than merely an offensive mind
Atkinson said he's determined "to be better than the last time" he held a head coaching job. He also said he improved under Kerr.
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"[The Cavs] are getting a basketball junkie, someone who is a great teacher, very convicted in his beliefs on the game and someone who knows how to develop young players," Kerr said. "He obviously did a phenomenal job with Brooklyn, but really did a great job with our young guys over the last few years.
"Kenny is not a guy that you pigeonhole as an offensive coach or a defensive coach. He's both. For us, he's handled both sides. He was our lead defensive guy last year, but when Mike Brown was doing the defense [before the Sacramento Kings hired him in 2022, Atkinson] was kind of the lead offensive guy. So he's a very well-rounded coach."
Although the 2024-25 Cavs will have a revamped offense, Atkinson has stressed he wants to preserve the defensive identity they forged under Bickerstaff , who went 170-159 in the regular season and 6-11 in the playoffs during four-plus seasons as Cleveland's head coach. The Cavs will face Bickerstaff and his new team, the Detroit Pistons , in Cleveland's home opener Friday night.
Kenny Atkinson speaks about how he plans to tackle his new role as coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers during a news conference July 1 in Independence.
Cleveland Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson became a part of Golden State Warriors culture as an assistant to coach Steve Kerr
After Atkinson's divorce from the Nets, he worked for two NBA championship-winning head coaches, Tyronn Lue with the Los Angeles Clippers (2020-21) and Kerr with the Warriors (2021-24). Lue captured a title with the Cavs in 2016. Kerr has won rings with the Warriors in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022.
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Atkinson likened his experiences with Lue and Kerr to earning a "doctorate" in coaching.
"When the Clippers allowed him to come to the Warriors, my sense was he was looking to gain as much experience from different teams, different cultures," Kerr said. "Ty Lue's obviously one of the very best coaches in the game, so I think his time with Ty, he really valued that.
"With us, he wanted to kind of see how we had operated during our current run, and every team is so different. You're really just a reflection of your best players and the culture that exists. So I think Kenny really wanted to be part of our situation, just given that we had a good vibe in the building and we'd obviously had a lot of success. I think he learned a lot from us, and we learned a lot from him. It was really a perfect situation."
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr and assistant Kenny Atkinson react to a play against the Boston Celtics during Game 4 of the 2022 NBA Finals June 10, 2022, in Boston.
How did Steve Kerr interact with Stephen Curry , Draymond Green , Klay Thompson ? Former Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson kept an eye on it
In Atkinson's lone season with the Clippers, they advanced Western Conference Finals. In Atkinson's three seasons with the Warriors, they went to the playoffs twice and won the NBA Finals two years ago by beating the Celtics in six games.
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"He really helped us get organized from a development standpoint," Kerr said. "The pre-practice work got much more developed and organized. He's on the floor. He is very much hands-on. He really liked being on the floor and inspiring guys and holding them accountable for their habits and daily routines. I think it's an area where we've made dramatic strides in the last few years, and Kenny's been a big part of that."
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Atkinson explained he benefited from observing Kerr, whose 15-year career as an NBA point guard included three-plus seasons with the Cavs (1989-92) and five titles, three with the Chicago Bulls and two with the San Antonio Spurs .
"[As a player and coach, Kerr has won] nine championships, right?" Atkinson said. "The player, he could talk about the Chicago Bulls experiences, his experience in Cleveland. He said he used to chase around Mark Price like crazy. Mark used to just kill him in practice all the time. He's got this incredible background.
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"[Kerr's former Bulls coach] Phil Jackson, all the great coaches, he's got [knowledge from them]. Then obviously the Golden State experience going from the media [as a broadcast analyst] to that whole evolution and then just watching how he dealt with superstars, like Steph [Curry] and Draymond [Green] and Klay [Thompson], and what that all looked like. What did that look like on a daily [basis]? What did it look like when you had to make the big decisions in the room, in a playoff series, in a Finals against the Celtics, whatever it could be? I just think, 'Here I am just getting this wealth of information.'"
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr reacts to a foul call talking with assistant Kenny Atkinson during a game against the Charlotte Hornets on Oct. 29, 2022, in Charlotte, North Carolina.
By studying Kerr behind the scenes, Atkinson became convinced coaches should treat their relationships with star players as if they're partnerships.
"I think he's a collaborator," Kerr said. "He really became a part of the collaboration. That's how we do it here. I've never believed in authoritarian coaching, especially in the modern NBA. Everyone's got a gazillion coaches, so you really have to collaborate.
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"But also in my experience, you have to collaborate also with your best players. Phil Jackson was great at that. [Spurs coach Gregg Popovich] was great at that. I've always tried to do that. I think it's an important part of the job is how do you sort of reconcile everything — what your staff is thinking, what your best players are thinking, how the team's feeling. So I think Kenny will do a really good job with that."
The Cavs are counting on it and much more from their new leader who's seldom seen at rest.
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Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs will get 'high energy' from coach Kenny Atkinson, Steve Kerr says
