The Cavs’ Kenny Atkinson effect, Jayson Tatum’s MVP cover, the Sixers’ spiraling and more

On By Littum

So… maybe the Brooklyn Nets should have given Kenny Atkinson more time back in March 2020 instead of succumbing to the stars and showing him the door.

If Cleveland’s historic start to this season has shown us anything, it’s the 57-year-old who was fired by the Nets back then — and has the Cavs on a remarkable 15-0 heading into their NBA Cup showdown in Boston on Tuesday night — could have made basketball magic if his tenure hadn’t been cut casually short under pressure from players to bring in a new voice. His work to that point had been strong, with Atkinson guiding the Nets through some dark rebuilding days before leading them to an unexpected playoff berth in 2019.

Arguably, the Nets’ dysfunctional culture at the time would never have allowed Atkinson to truly make his mark, with the Kyrie Irving-Kevin Durant era hampered by a lack of top-to-bottom synergy and, later infamously, post-Atkinson , Irving’s. extended absence due to his stance on the COVID-19 vaccine. Still, it’s worth bearing in mind now that we’re seeing the full breadth of Atkinson’s acumen given the right roster and a healthier locker room climate.

If these Cavs can take down the Celtics (11-3) on the home court of the defending champs, then Cleveland will join the infamous 2015-16 Golden State Warriors as the only two teams to win 16-plus games from the jump. That tidbit is also fitting given the path Atkinson took after his Nets exit.

While still an Atlanta Hawks assistant as the Stephen Curry-led Golden State team won a career-high 73 games before falling to Cleveland in the NBA Finals, Atkinson later spent three years (2021 to 2024) with the Warriors as a central assistant coach along with Steve Kerr (including, of course, the 2022 title, which the team celebrated on the Celtics’ TD Garden floor). Seam Atkinson has discussedthe lessons he learned during that time have carried over into this Cavs experience. The movement, pace and creative use of versatile personnel have all hinted at the Golden State approach, with Atkinson’s Draymond Green-esque use of big man Evan Mobley at the top of the list.

So far, the Cavs profile as a legitimate title contender.

  • Second in net rating, with an 11.5 rating, trailing only Oklahoma City (11.7).
  • First in offensive rating (122.1 points scored per 100 possessions), with Boston second (121.4); The Cavs were just 16th under former coach JB Bickerstaff last season.
  • Seventh in defensive rating (110.7 points allowed per 100 possessions); they ranked seventh last season (112.1).

The Cavs even won their first game of the season without Donovan Mitchell on Sunday, beating Charlotte 128-114 while the five-time All-Star rested and four Cavs (Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland and Mitchell’s fill-in starter, Ty Jerome ) scored 20 plus points. Speaking of what-ifs, this is the same Hornets organization that agreed to terms with Atkinson to be their head coach through the summer of 2022 before he reversed course and returned to the Warriors. While it could have been uncomfortable — and it certainly was — his choice looks like the right move these days.

Even if the Cavs’ streak ends against the C’s, this start bodes well for their chances of making the deep playoff run that has eluded them since Mitchell arrived three summers ago. All three previous teams to win more than 15 games to start a season — the aforementioned Warriors, the 1993-94 Houston Rockets and the 1948-49 Washington Capitols — reached the NBA Finals. The Rockets won it all.

For these Cavs, who signed Atkinson to a five-year deal on June 28 and signed Mitchell to a three-year, $150.8 million extension less than two weeks later, this is the next step in the plan after LeBron James, who did not the. always looks so promising. A well-deserved hat tip goes to general manager Koby Altman, who was elevated to the top front office role in the summer of 2017 (after being turned down by Chauncey Billups) and has provided quality work ever since.

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The undefeated Cavaliers are just getting started as a threat in the East

Jayson Tatum’s (latest) MVP case and the Celtics’ dominance

The Cavs’ streak is impressive, but let’s not forget the team that currently holds the Larry O’Brien trophy. Those Celtics, who have yet to play big man Kristaps Porziņģis because of a leg injury, are on pace for 64 wins, which would match what they did in the 2023-24 regular season. Considering what happened next this spring, when Boston lost just three times in 19 attempts in the playoffs en route to winning a league-record 18th trophy, it’s downright disrespectful to ignore the dominance that unfolded throughout that time.

More specifically, give Jayson Tatum his early season flowers. After a Team USA summer that questioned his superstar status in the eyes of some — fresh off his NBA Finals MVP miss that sparked a similar debate — Tatum has reminded the masses that this Celtics team can’t truly contend without him. Tatum is averaging 29.7 points (46.1 percent shooting overall; 38.1 percent from 3), 7.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game, along with a plus-minus of 10 ,1, who also leads the team. This is a welcome contrast to his national team experience, when league sources say the five-time All-Star did not have any really good days on the pitch – in training or playing – throughout his time leading up to the gold medal win over France.

In this era of transcendent heliocentric talents like Nikola Jokić, Luka Dončić, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, it’s harder than ever for a player of Tatum’s stature to win MVP because the Celtics share the workload more than the teams from the aforementioned candidates. . But Tatum has been special so far. The tone of the conversation around him should change with the prospect of Tatum making a run for the league’s top individual honors at season’s end.

Unless Jokić somehow continues at his ridiculous pace for the Nuggets: 29.7 points, 13.7 rebounds (league high) and 11.7 assists (also league high) per game. match. Not a bad start to the Joker’s quest to win his fourth MVP in the past five seasons.

On the death of the Sixers and the reminder it provides

It never ceases to amaze me how wrong we tend to get in this industry.

Watching the Sixers go down again Monday night when they played Joel Embiid and Paul George still lost for the 11th time in 13 tries in a 106-89 rout of Miami, it was impossible not to consider all the predictions that missed the mark so badly. Again.

Remember when Bucks landing Damian Lillard would lead them to the Finals again? Or when the Kevin Durant-Bradley Beal-Devin Booker Suns received similar projections? The examples are many, and the pontificating on paper almost always misses the mark.

The Sixers landing George in free agency was the blockbuster move of the summer, and plenty of pundits (including you) thought it was a difference maker that could make them legitimate title contenders again. Yet… here they are, with a record that, like Athletics Mike Vorkunov detailed, doesn’t put them on the kind of postseason path they had in mind.

Health issues with the Sixers’ top stars have certainly played a role, but the team has hardly been a world-beater when they’ve been available. Embiid, in particular, looks like a shell of himself after working his way back from the familiar management of his left knee earlier this season. If you have hour-long postgame meetings to unpack your team’s various issues before December rolls around, which was reportedthen it’s all bad.

And back to the Nets…

The trade deadline is still nearly three months away, but there’s plenty of talk about Brooklyn being the place to go for contending teams looking for upgrades when the crucial time for roster building finally arrives. League sources say the rebuilding Nets are expected to be open for business, even with this competitive start (5-9; 20th in net rating), where first-year coach Jordi Fernandez has made good use of the available talent.

Fourth-year shooting guard Cam Thomas (24.6 points per game) failed to agree on an extension and is widely considered available, but Brooklyn’s list of options hardly ends there. They have proven vets like Dennis Schröder and Bojan Bogdanovicić, who have yet to play this season due to left foot surgery, but are on the way to a return.

Big man Nic Claxton signed a four-year, $100 million extension last summer, but the reality of the Nets’ long-term plans means none are likely off the table. Cam Johnson showed an ability to produce for a contender during his Phoenix tenure, and the 28-year-old small forward (16.9 ppg; 38.1 percent from three on 7.5 attempts per) certainly remains exciting for this kind of team. You get the idea.

Nets general manager Sean Marks will have plenty of options to sort through as this season progresses.

(Photo of Jayson Tatum and Donovan Mitchell: Jason Miller/Getty Images)