Kenny Atkinson walked into Cleveland and delivered the kind of first season that usually buys a coach a long runway. The Cavaliers won 64 games, played with a slick offensive rhythm, and looked like a team that had finally found its gear.
But in the NBA, one big year can quickly become the standard instead of the cushion. That’s the bind Atkinson is in now. Cleveland wants to break through and get back to the NBA Finals for the first time since LeBron James left in 2018 - and the first time in franchise history without him - and the Cavs have fallen short in each of the last two seasons.
That pressure is only getting heavier because a familiar name could be on the market soon: Ty Lue.
The Los Angeles Clippers were hit with major penalties after going outside NBA rules to set up sponsorship deals for Kawhi Leonard, funneling tens of millions of dollars to the star forward to secure him. The punishment was steep: a $30 million fine, suspensions for the owner and top executives, and the loss of five first-round draft picks.
The fallout didn’t stop there. After already moving James Harden and Ivica Zubac, the Clippers have now officially traded Leonard to the Toronto Raptors. That leaves the roster in rough shape, with Darius Garland, the overrated Brandon Ingram, and a mix of aging role players and young prospects.
Lue was not implicated in the case, but he is still dealing with the consequences. What had looked like a contender has turned into a rebuild, and one with almost no draft-pick help. That is not exactly the kind of situation that screams long-term stability for a coach with his résumé.
And Lue has been through this kind of shift before. The last time he was on a team that went from contender to bottom feeder was in Cleveland in 2018-19, when LeBron James left for the Los Angeles Lakers and the Cavaliers dropped into another rebuild. Lue lasted only six games before an 0-6 start led to his firing.
Still, that doesn’t define his Cleveland run. Lue took over for David Blatt in the 2015-16 season and guided the Cavaliers to the first championship in franchise history. He then got them back to the Finals in each of the next two seasons, often having to juggle constantly changing veteran rosters around LeBron.
What Lue has not been asked to do, though, is shepherd a rebuild. The Clippers have had a winning record in all six of his seasons there, and he remains one of the league’s most respected coaches.
The question now is whether he would want to stay in a long-term reset. The answer is probably no.
That makes the possibility of a Cavs reunion worth watching. If Lue becomes available during the season or after it ends, he would be one of the most sought-after coaches in the league. Teams have a hard time finding a head coach they can trust, and Lue has already shown he can win playoff series and handle big jobs.
Cleveland could absolutely be in that mix. If Atkinson produces another strong regular season but the postseason ends in disappointment again, the Cavaliers may decide to move on. That’s the danger of early success: once expectations rise, anything short of a breakthrough can turn into a problem.
Atkinson still has plenty going for him. He’s a strong offensive coach, and his players appear to be behind him.
He has every chance to build a long stay in Cleveland. But if the Cavaliers miss again, the temperature around his job will climb fast.
And if that happens, the replacement might be a very familiar one.
In Other News...
Cavs Fans Have More Ways To Avoid Full DAZN Cost This Season
Cavaliers fans heading into this season have a little more flexibility than they might expect when it comes to watching the teams non-nationally televised games. Cleveland partnered with DAZN for local broadcasts this year, with Rock Entertainment Group handling the production, but the setup is not an all-or-nothing proposition for viewers trying to keep costs down.
DAZNs multi-device plan now runs $25, yet 31 of the Cavs 82 games will be available without that full subscription, either for free or through cheaper options such as Peacock and Amazon Prime Video. In practical terms, nearly 40% of the schedule should be reachable through cable TV or other streaming services, a sign that more NBA teams are looking for ways to widen local access without forcing fans into one pricey platform. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Brought Back A Familiar Shooter For A Reason
The Cavaliers have spent the offseason sorting through the margins of the roster, and Sean McNeil now fits right into that broader camp picture. Cleveland signed the guard to a non-guaranteed training camp contract, a move that gives the organization a closer look at a familiar shooter while keeping the financial commitment light as the roster gets closer to opening night.
For teams building out the back end of the roster, these deals are as much about rights and development as they are about immediate NBA help. The Pelicans handling of Johnny ONeil and the Warriors Exhibit 10 signings of Chance McMillian and Deivon Smith are reminders of how often clubs use these transactions to steer players toward their G League affiliates, and McNeils situation suggests Cleveland sees value in keeping that pipeline open as camp approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Iman Shumpert Just Reopened A Painful Cavaliers What-If
Iman Shumpert has never sounded like a man eager to let the 2016 NBA Finals fade quietly into history. In revisiting Kevin Durants decision to join the Warriors, Shumpert went straight at the move that helped turn the leagues next few years into a Cavs-Rangers of the West saga, framing it as the kind of choice that cost Cleveland a chance at adding more hardware after its title run.
For Cavaliers fans, it is the sort of reminder that still stings because the alternate path always felt close enough to imagine. The championships that followed, the head-to-head stakes and the lasting debate over what might have happened if Durant had gone elsewhere have kept that era alive far beyond the final buzzer, and LeBron James recent move to Philadelphia with his declaration that it will be his final NBA stop only adds another layer to how that stretch of Cavs history gets remembered. [Read more 🡒]