Chicago Bulls: Latest rumored head coaching favorites to replace Boylen
By Ryan Heckman
2. Kenny Atkinson
Former Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson is another one of the rumored candidates pointed out by Wojnarowski. Earlier this season, he was fired by the Nets.
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One particular piece of information that came out following his firing was the fact that Atkinson did not want to coach Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving into next season.
First of all, I don’t blame Atkinson for not wanting to coach personalities like Durant and Irving. However, if you are an NBA head coach and either cannot or don’t want to handle personalities in today’s game, you don’t belong in this career. The NBA has changed. There are bigger and more diverse personalities to be managed.
Second, Atkinson hasn’t proven anything as a head coach except for the fact that he’s not cut out for the gig. In four seasons with the Nets, he went 118-190 (.383) and made the playoffs just once — barely, by a record of 42-40.
With all of that said, though, there are respected sources (scouts) who believe Atkinson should be the no-brainer hire in Chicago. One scout said of Atkinsson:
"“He will do for Chicago exactly what he did for Brooklyn. He’ll have them overachieve, outhustle and outwork teams on a nightly basis. They will be physical, smart, and tough to guard because they will share the ball. Plus, he’s a no-nonsense, direct, fair coach who relates very well to players. He’d be my pick.”"
To be fair, Atkinson did help develop Spencer Dinwiddie, whom the Bulls gave up on. That will always be one more easy jab at the Bulls of the 2000’s.
Prior to his stint with the Nets, Atkinson was an assistant for the Atlanta Hawks (2012-2016) and New York Knicks (2008-2012). Before that, he was an assistant coach for a club in Paris.