Kendrick Perkins tossed out a blunt take on Kenny Atkinson’s future after Monday’s ugly loss to the Hornets, but that doesn’t appear to be where the Cavs are right now.
On X, the ESPN analyst suggested Atkinson could be on shaky ground after Cleveland’s rough night in Charlotte.
“Kenny Atkinson may not make it [past] the trade deadline!!!” Perkins wrote.
It’s the kind of comment that will land with a portion of the Cavs’ fanbase, especially after a 5-6 start and a game in which they fell behind a shorthanded Charlotte team by 33 points. That kind of performance naturally fuels frustration. But a prediction from Perkins is not the same thing as Cleveland actually moving toward a coaching change.
The sense here is that Atkinson is not presently in danger of losing his job.
That doesn’t mean he’s off the hook. The issues have been obvious enough by now: rebounding problems, defensive lapses and effort that has come and gone too often.
At some point, pointing them out after losses stops being useful. Fixing them is the assignment.
The Cavs also still need cleaner answers on how to get more out of James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. This roster was assembled to contend, and too often it has looked clunky on the basics.
Still, there’s a bigger body of work to consider than one bad loss and one analyst’s reaction to it. Atkinson won Coach of the Year in his first season with Cleveland and got the team to the Eastern Conference finals in his second. Eleven games into year three, that history matters.
There are also smaller changes the Cavs can make before anything more drastic enters the conversation. Tweaking roles and rotations would be the most logical place to begin.
Cleveland heads to the Knicks on Wednesday with plenty to sort out. Atkinson needs a better response from his team.
That’s a fair expectation. It’s not the same as getting ready to fire the coach.
In Other News...
Cavs Got The Offensive Spark Fans Have Been Waiting For
The Cavaliers finally found the kind of offensive rhythm that has been missing in stretches this season, and it came in a win over the Knicks. James Harden set the tone with 32 points and four assists, while Donovan Mitchell added 23 points and seven rebounds to keep the pressure on New York. Jarrett Allen chipped in 11 points and 14 rebounds, giving Cleveland a steady inside presence, and the overall performance had the feel of a night when the ball moved with purpose and the scoring load was spread more naturally.
Tyrese Proctor also gave the Cavs a useful lift with 15 points, another encouraging sign for a team still sorting out its rotation and looking for reliable secondary scoring. For Cleveland, the bigger question now is whether this was just a strong one-off against the Knicks or the start of a more consistent offensive spark that can carry into the next stretch of games. [Read more 🡒]
Cavs Finally Delivered The Kind Of Response Fans Needed
After a shaky stretch that had started to raise questions, the Cavaliers got the kind of road response they needed at Madison Square Garden, beating the Knicks 115-107 and snapping a two-game losing streak. Clevelands offense found enough rhythm to steady things, and Donovan Mitchell was central to that push with 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists as the Cavs moved back to 6-6.
The bigger takeaway was that Cleveland didnt let the night drift away once New York made it uncomfortable in the fourth quarter. James Hardens season-high 32 points gave the Cavaliers a needed scoring lift, and the win offered a cleaner snapshot of what this group can look like when it has to answer a challenge rather than absorb one. [Read more 🡒]
Cavs Pressure Is Rising Fast But Kenny Atkinson May Not Be The Problem
A 5-6 start has a way of turning up the heat quickly, and the Cavaliers are already feeling it. Kenny Atkinson is the face of the sideline scrutiny, but the early-season frustration has been shaped as much by the roster around him as by anything happening in the coaching box, with the team not getting the kind of lift it expected from key pieces.
James Harden has been part of that conversation, and so has Peyton Watson, whose play has slipped from what he gave last season. When the production from important additions and veterans falls off at the same time, the pressure inevitably rolls uphill, and Atkinsons margin for error may not stay wide for long if Cleveland cannot find some traction soon. [Read more 🡒]