Kenny Atkinson and Brooklyn Nets mutually agree to part ways
Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson during the first half against the Charlotte Hornets at Barclays Center on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019. Credit: Jim McIsaac
It was just 11 months ago when the Nets rewarded head coach Kenny Atkinson with a contract extension as they closed in on a playoff berth just three seasons into a remarkable rebuilding project from the most basic of ingredients. But Atkinson won’t have the opportunity to see it through to completion because he and the Nets “mutually agreed to part ways,” as the news release delicately characterized the stunning move early Saturday morning.
When general manger Sean Marks met with the media a few hours later, he said the move resulted from ongoing discussions and he and Atkinson agreed the Nets “need a new voice,” a phrase Marks used repeatedly without ever providing specific reasons for that decision. Marks named assistant Jacque Vaughn the interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
Northport native Atkinson compiled a 118-190 in his three-plus seasons as coach of the Nets, ranking third in franchise history in games coached and fourth in wins despite having the NBA’s worst record in his initial season. Although the Nets are 28-34 going into Sunday afternoon’s game against the Bulls at Barclays Center, they still are seventh in the Eastern Conference. They likely are headed for a second straight playoff appearance even with minimal participation from the two superstars they attracted this summer. Kevin Durant hasn't played this season and Kyrie Irving played in just 20 games.
The addition of two maximum-salary players elevated expectations despite the injuries. “The position we find ourselves in now is: ‘What helps us get to the next level?’ Marks said. “I think what we debated and deliberated on was this is a time where the team needs a new voice.”
Asked how much input he received from players regarding the decision for Atkinson to step down, Marks said the organization relies on player input regarding on-court strategy, but he added, “This didn’t involve the players. This is a matter of where it was really between Kenny and myself. We brought in ownership when we needed to, and we [arrived] at this decision. So, this was purely amicable and mutually agreed upon between those parties.”
When the Nets signed their free agent stars, they knew Durant would miss the entire season while rehabbing from Achilles tendon surgery. Then, Irving suffered a series of injuries before undergoing shoulder surgery that ended his season. Durant actually cited research he did on Atkinson’s coaching style as a reason for choosing the Nets. Those two players also had a voice in some of the other veterans Marks added.
So, it stands to reason that, if Durant and Irving wanted Atkinson to still be the coach, he would be, but Marks resisted that notion. “This was a decision that wasn’t even about Kevin, Kyrie, Caris [LeVert], Joe (Harris), Spencer [Dinwiddie], Jarrett Allen,” Marks said, adding the names of four players Atkinson developed from scratch into a youthful core that made the playoffs last season.
Because LeVert also missed 25 games with injuries this season, ESPN analyst Bobby Marks was stunned by news of Atkinson’s departure, tweeting, “Considering the injuries . . . and having Brooklyn at 28-34, I was actually thinking that Kenny Atkinson should receive Coach of the Year votes.”
When it was suggested Atkinson earned the right to coach a team with a healthy Durant and Irving, Sean Marks said, “I can’t comment on whether he could have or should have. I would have loved to see him coach those guys. But the situation and circumstances we’re in today is we’re trying to take this program from where we are now to another level, and we’ve both agreed along with ownership that a change is necessary to do that.”
Marks declined to address the impact all the injuries had on the Nets’ performance in this season of heightened expectations. The closest he got to any specific reason for the decision was regarding the style of play or systems that Atkinson implemented. Marks said he generally was supportive of the systems, but he added, “It’s about how they were implementing that system with the right pieces in the right places, and that takes all of us out there. That didn’t factor in.”
Marks declined to discuss replacements for Atkinson other than interim coach Vaughn. He said there were healthy debates between Atkinson, himself and the players but denied there were any “clashes” of personality. He insisted there “was not one specific event” that led to the decision and called it a “culmination of events.”
Describing his final conversation with Atkinson Friday night after the Nets scored a season-high 139 points in a blowout of the Spurs, Marks said, “When he and I finished the conversations last night and then with ownership, I think there was peace in the decision from all parties . . . This was a culmination of events over the course of the year. Kenny is brutally honest, and the humility he showed to say he’ll admit, ‘My voice is not what it once was here. It’s time.’”
Greg Logan has worked for Newsday since 1982 covering a wide array of sports and events, currently including the Brooklyn Nets beat.
