re: Nets, Kenny Atkinson 'mutually agree to part ways'

Atkinson isn’t without faults. His offense is not very complex at all, it’s really simple space and pace stuff which has its strengths and weaknesses. A lot of people think he may be better suited for young developmental teams and not established vet teams.

To me he just seems like a damn good coach.

Yea this reeks of Kyrie’s stench. Love Atkinson, would be the perfect coach for this ball club. I was worried that there would be no good coaches on the market this year and we’d be stuck with uncle Al for another year, but the time is now to go get this guy.

The more I see, the more he would be perfect here.. They say he doesn't know how to manage a "superstar" player, but that seems to be the case for the headache guys like KD and Kyrie.. Our entire roster is more attitude oriented with the way the Nets roster is. To add some more pieces.

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"In Zach Lowe’s latest pod with Kevin Arnovitz (~7:45 minute mark) they walk through some of the reasons for Atkinson’s dismissal. Key amongst them apparently is some long-simmering tension with DeAndre Jordan coming off the bench, in favor of Jarrett Allen.”

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“Lowe says it wasn’t anything that was out in the open, but was understood by all, that decision made presumably Kyrie, KD, & DeAndre unhappy since they came to play together."

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His offense is not very complex at all, it’s really simple space and pace stuff which has its strengths and weaknesses

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You’re not wrong. Last year was not complex either with a lot of high pick and roll with Russell. Where I really like Atkinson is his ability to develop and connect with players (already covered) and his defense. Go look at the Nets D numbers from last year and this year. They definitely overachieve based on their personal. I also like that he has switched the scheme midway through this year. They went from dropping the center a lot to try and force a lot of mid-range jumpers last year and the beginning of this year (which was needed to hide Russell and Kyrie), to being more versatile. They are blitzing pick and rolls, trapping, and mixing in lots of zone. The turnovers forced rate as a result has skyrocketed as he’s weaponized the length of guys like dinwiddie, LeVert, and Allen in a new way. They had the 8th ranked defense in a lot of metrics since the change. That’s what gets me excited and has sold me on Atkinson. He might not be a top 5 coach, but he’ll be the first clear top half coach the Pelicans have in a long time, maybe even the first in their short history.

Well, the Nets have the potential to be a contender next season. If Atkinson wasn't going to work well with Kyrie, then getting rid of him is the right move. I mean, it's a terrible indictment on Kyrie, but we already knew that he was a cancer in some ways. Kyrie, though, is also very talented at the game of basketball, and he and KD together could win the whole thing. So, the Nets decided to start preparing to take their shot next season, even if it meant getting rid of a quality coach.

it will be fascinating to see what becomes of the nets roster outside of the three amigos (Irving, Durant and Jordan). I saw one report that the first two weren’t happy Atkinson benched Jordan for Jarrett Allen because “they came there to play together”...

Harris is UFA after this season
Leverts new deal starts next season
Dinwiddies new deal started this season, he can opt out after next year
Princes new deal starts next season
Allen after next year is RFA

They are a tax team next year regardless

winning cures everything but winning didn’t make Irving or Durant happy before.

they are lean on picks (and we don’t need anymore post lottery picks) but yes that is exactly what I was thinking

dinwiddie, levert and prince or similar would work

Give me Kenny and Joe Harris with this roster.

Yeah, I just don't see that whole thing working out and either Kyrie or KD will want out by the end of next season