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Sources say Cleveland, meanwhile, passed on taking back Monk's contract in the Hunter deal rather than Schröder … although it certainly didn't hurt that Schröder has experienced no shortage of national team success with Germany. That is said to have appealed to Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson, who on top of his own FIBA experiences knows Schröder from their time together in Atlanta.
Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson also said his piece on the matter before the team's game on Monday. “We're aware,” Atkinson said. “It's really tragic for the community, for the families. You just feel for the whole situation. We're definitely aware of what's going on. Violence, personally, I try to put over there in a box, but I know it's part of this world. You have to have empathy for what's going on in that community and for the families.”
With a strong relationship off the court, the pairing works seamlessly on it. The two's short-roll connection is a weapon for Kenny Atkinson and the wine and gold, as Mitchell handles the ball while Tyson sets a high screen in the middle area. There's a multitude of options that come from the ball-screen action: Tyson rolls to the right elbow, pops to the opposite wing, or acts as a decoy for Mitchell's next move. “I think obviously we work on it in practice,” Tyson said at a practice at the beginning of this month. “Donovan was kind of putting it in my head earlier in the year, so we worked on it in training camp, and just my ability to be able to make quick reads out of it, I could pass out of it. Also, working on that little floater. I feel like that's helped me, but just seeing different reads is helping me grow in that. “Obviously, I'm still young, trying to figure that part out. But the more I see different coverages, how they guard, the more I just get more confident.”
Royce Young: Kenny Atkinson called Chet Holmgren the best rim protector in the NBA. Opponents are shooting 48.4% inside six feet against Chet (number 1 in the NBA among players that defend at least 5 attempts a game), for a difference of -15.3% against league average (also number 1).
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Ethan Sands: Asked about Lonzo Ball: Kenny Atkinson: "This is not permanent ... we're going to need him. He's a playoff basketball player." Donovan Mitchell on Ball's energy: "He's still the same guy. Still joking, laughing ... still teaching and still having a good time on the bench."
Small forward Max Strus, who has been sidelined the last four months following offseason surgery to repair a Jones fracture (fifth metatarsal) in his left foot, has not yet started practicing with the team and remains without a firm timetable for a return. “The timeline is what it is,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said. “There’s no earlier or later.”
Kenny Atkinson: I rarely say this, but I thought the game was over in the first quarter. I believe we had eight turnovers. Their physicality, we weren't ready for the fight. I don't know how else to say it. Encouraged after the Knicks' game because we were ready for the fight, but tonight we came out… call it what you want. Christmas hangover? I have no idea. It's hard for me to… It wasn't the same team that played the other night against the Knicks.
Matt Young: As soon as Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson sat down for his pregame chat with the media in Houston, he immediately asked, "Where's Jonathan Feigen from the Houston Chronicle?" You're missed by everyone @Jonathan_Feigen. Jonathan Feigen: That's so kind, and typically classy Kenny. I miss being there, too.
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Reigning NBA coach of the year Kenny Atkinson is “not on the hot seat” with the Cleveland Cavaliers despite the team’s poor start, multiple league sources with direct knowledge of the franchise’s thinking told The Athletic. This was the sentiment even before the Cavs snapped a three-game losing streak (and four-game home slide) by beating the Charlotte Hornets 139-132 on Monday night, though no one should necessarily feel better about this team just yet, either.
To be clear, decision-makers, coaches and players are “upset” with how the team has played for two months following last year’s 64-win season, but those frustrations have not risen to the level of Atkinson’s job being in imminent danger, those sources said. Atkinson is in his second season, having replaced J.B. Bickerstaff, who was fired despite guiding the team to better campaigns each year of his four-season tenure.
Additionally, Cleveland’s front office, led by president of basketball operations Koby Altman, is not in a hurry to overhaul the roster, even though the Cavs have the NBA’s most expensive collection of players (with a payroll of $229.8 million, they are the league’s only team currently over the second apron). Team executives want to see how it looks once all of the Cavs’ projected starters are on the court together, which has yet to happen this year. To that end, at least two trade offers for rotation players were rejected by Cleveland, league sources said.
