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Kenny Atkinson: “I think part of this too is we’re not in elite condition right now, which is kind of normal. Second game, getting your rhythm, we’re not there. I told the guys in the timeout we got to fight through the fatigue. I thought we had moments of fatigue.”
"We were anticipating and excited [to land James] and then you have that [news]," Atkinson said pregame when asked about James going to Philadelphia. "Having gone through free agency a lot, when you're expecting something to happen and it doesn't happen, that first day or two, you're just like, you're depressed, quite honestly. That's the emotions of it."
Q. Evan Mobley was defensive player of the year a couple years ago and the GM survey comes out and they have all these different categories for best defensive player like best perimeter defender, best defensive center, that kind of stuff. And Evan's nowhere to be found. Kenny Atkinson: Now you're getting me riled up [laughter] because he should be, right? And I think that's part of that kind of chip on his shoulder. I don't know, you have to talk to him. I think he wants to get back to that elite status, All-Star status. That's part of his goal this year.
Chris Fedor: #Cavs Kenny Atkinson says he plans to play his regulars tomorrow night in the second preseason game. He also said he plans to increase their minutes a bit.
Chris Fedor: #Cavs Kenny Atkinson said one of his hopes this season is to find a stable 10-man rotation: "I've done 11, but 10 is most manageable. That's the goal" The top 7 are obvious - Harden, Mitchell, Watson, Mobley, Allen, Merrill & Tyson It seems like 8-10 is a little more uncertain
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Jaylon Tyson on Kenny Atkinson: “He told me straight up, he told me I had a great year. Obviously playoffs didn’t go how I wanted. And me and him kind of, he gave it to me to figure out what he wanted me to work on. He said, ‘Man, I love everything about what you brought to the table.’ I told him, this is like a couple days after the playoff series, I took a couple days to really evaluate my season, evaluate how I thought it went. And obviously, I thought the regular season went great, but in the playoffs, I think the mental aspect took a toll on me. Being able to handle the ups and downs and not playing as much as I was used to in the regular season, I think that’s something that really took a toll on me and affected my performance and ultimately affected the team.”
RealCavsFans: About what they learned from last year and what they have to improve this year, Kenny talked about the mental resiliency but still the growth they have to achieve there. He said they have to get stronger mentally and physically.
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Rick Bucher: ‘When Kenny Atkinson was the Brooklyn Nets head coach, he was literally given a preset substitution pattern based on the analytical profile of his bench players. I don't know if Atkinson has always been a hardcore analytics believer or he realized following them is the best way to get and keep a job, but he is apparently all in now. This is the same Atkinson who said in last year's conference finals against the Knicks that while his Cavs were down in the series three games to none, analytically they were actually ahead in the series 2-1. That is essentially saying winning is not the be-all and end-all. It is equally important to play analytically smart basketball.’
"With NBA Europe, and in cooperation with FIBA, I think we'll be even closer to the players, especially the European players," Kenny Atkinson said. "We are close now, but this is different. We will probably be able to evaluate the players better. We will be able to build closer relationships with the clubs here. Yes, we are close to the players now; we already have good relationships with the clubs, but having the NBA logo on the league changes things for the better, of course." Atkinson also added that he sees no downside to the project: "I think this is great for the players as well. It's really amazing. Obviously, I think there will be an economic boost. Players will earn more money and have more opportunities under the NBA umbrella. I don't see any negative aspects to this," he concluded.
Kenny Atkinson believes the NBA brand could significantly influence the European basketball landscape. “Having the NBA logo on the league will naturally change certain things for the better. I think it will be great for the players,” he added. “Frankly, I believe it will also generate economic growth. Players will have the opportunity to earn more money and receive more opportunities under the NBA umbrella. I do not see any downside to it.”
Do you see any budding Mike D’Antoni-style coaches in the NBA? Mike D'Antoni: They’ll do it better. Coaches keep getting better, and I don’t follow that close. I obviously follow guys like Kenny Atkinson, who was with me in New York. But everybody has their style and their demeanor, and it works all kinds of different ways. There’s not one way to play, and you got to do what’s best for your personnel, and that could be all kinds of different venues. And when that happens, you’re a good coach. Whether it’s my style or somebody else’s style, it doesn’t matter.