With the Cleveland Cavaliers off to a middling start to the NBA season, there is already talk that they should fire Kenny Atkinson. While the league is known for lacking patience when it comes to the survival of head coaches, especially on teams that have high expectations, this would seem to be premature, even for that.
Yes, the Cavaliers have looked downright awful at times while going 6-6 over their first 12 games. But they also have victories against the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers, who are expected to be their main competition, along with the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics, in the balanced Eastern Conference.
So, insider Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com is urging patience with Atkinson, also mentioning the coaches the Cavaliers may have let go too soon.
“Mike Brown … J.B. Bickerstaff … Kenny Atkinson. These are all good coaches with strong track records. How about being patient with the coach as he sorts through his roster and deals with early-season changes and injuries?” Pluto wrote.
Of course, Pluto points out that the Cavaliers fired Brown twice, and he just led the Knicks to the NBA championship. In addition, Bickerstaff was the runner-up to Joe Mazzulla as NBA Coach of the Year last season, and this season he has the Pistons off to an 8-3 start.
While it may be fair to argue that the Cavs reached their ceiling under Atkinson by getting to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, there are noteworthy circumstances playing into the rough start. James Harden has admitted that he was not in shape to begin the campaign, and he is likely to improve as the season moves along.
Also, the Cavaliers are without Sam Merrill because of an elbow injury. Though he is not a starter, the reserve guard is a key to Atkinson’s rotation, with Pluto mentioning that Cleveland was 37-15 when Merrill played last season, and 15-15 when he was injured. The Cavs are also adjusting to newcomer Peyton Watson in their starting lineup, along with young bench players Meleek Thomas and Tyrese Proctor.
Last season, the Cavs were 17-16 around Christmas, but finished 35-14 and reached the conference finals for the first time since 2018, so perhaps Atkinson deserves the benefit of the doubt that he can orchestrate another successful turnaround.
NEXT: Report Sheds Light On James Harden’s Early-Season Struggles
