Wow, Atkinson is a good coach, very good with young guys. They're dealing with a lot of injuries, especially with Kyrie now out for the season I'm not sure what the expectations could've been considering the circumstances
Pretty ****ed up, they just beat the Celtics in overtime after being down 20 and blew the Spurs out last night.
https://theathletic.com/1660769/ Kenny Atkinson’s final game as coach of the Brooklyn Nets was a blowout win over the organization he tried to have his team emulate. The Nets announced a mutual parting of ways with their head coach on Saturday morning, just hours after Brooklyn blew out the San Antonio Spurs in a 139-120 win. Atkinson was in his fourth season with the team and his job security wasn’t considered to be in jeopardy, at least publicly. With Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving out due to injury, the expectations were that Atkinson would get to coach the team at least into next season, when the Nets’ stars are expected to be fully healthy. Team sources told The Athletic that Nets players were extremely surprised by the decision and hadn’t been addressed on it as of Saturday morning. Assistant coach Jacque Vaughn is expected to take over the rest of the season. “After discussions with Kenny about the progress of the season, we mutually agreed that a coaching change would be in the best interest of the team,” said general manager Sean Marks. “This was an extremely difficult decision, however the organization believes it is one that is necessary at this time. Kenny was instrumental in developing our players and building the identity and culture we have become known for over these past four seasons. The foundation he helped put into place here is one that we will continue to build on in the coming seasons. We are forever grateful for all of Kenny’s hard work and dedication to the Nets and the Brooklyn community. Kenny, Laura and the Atkinson family will always remain a part of our Nets family and we wish them nothing but the best in the future.” Atkinson was Marks’ first coaching hire and came to Brooklyn to replace Lionel Hollins as both men were trying to move the organization forward after trading away a bounty of draft picks for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. An assistant in Atlanta under longtime Spurs assistant and current Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer, Atkinson installed a team-friendly culture in the Nets locker room and emphasized player development. Under Atkinson, the Nets revitalized the careers of Joe Harris, Spencer Dinwiddie and D’Angelo Russell among others. He also helped turn Caris LeVert into a budding star. Atkinson won just 20 games his first season as head coach, but improved the Nets’ win total by eight games his second season. Last season, Russell led the Nets on a surprise playoff run that saw the team win 42 games. As much as the Nets improved under Atkinson, he still came under fire for being too married to his rotations, among other issues. As of Saturday, Atkinson put the Nets in position to make the playoffs, as the team is currently the No. 7 in the Eastern Conference with a 28-34 record. Atkinson has drawn more praise than criticism for his coaching job this season after Irving and LeVert missed over a combined 50 games due to injury. The news comes as a surprise because of the timing, with the Nets having just 20 games left in the regular season with an expected early playoff exit. League sources told The Athletic that the thought in the industry was that Atkinson’s job wouldn’t come under fire unless the Nets got off to a slow start next season with Irving and Durant. Durant, who hasn’t spoken to Nets beat writers since September, said when he agreed to sign with Brooklyn along with Irving and DeAndre Jordan, he looked up YouTube videos of Atkinson to get a feel for him as a coach. When Durant went on the YES Network during Wednesday’s loss to the Grizzlies, he reaffirmed that the Nets were in good hands with Atkinson. “We have good coaching,” he said. Atkinson was an adamant defender of Irving, who throughout the season occasionally put his foot in his mouth with the media. When it was reported that the Nets were uneasy about Irving’s mood swings, Atkinson said his star point guard was a great teammate and that the reports were false. Brooklyn’s next game is Sunday against Chicago, followed by a West Coast road trip. Vaughn was 58-158 in three years as coach of the Orlando Magic from 2012 to 2015. Marks is expected to address reporters on Saturday at practice.
SOME= Kyrie Irving. LOL at hiring Marc Jackson. In the end it doesnt mater how good your organisation is. As soon as you let a big snake in, it will end in ruin.