NEW YORK — Kenny Atkinson does not get on an exercise bike to watch losses at 4:30 a.m. like he did early in his time as coach of the Brooklyn Nets. He has found that transition beneficial for his health and his win-loss record.
Atkinson returned as a head coach to Brooklyn with his new team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, on Monday. The 57-year-old, who led the Nets for four seasons, is now coaching the team with the NBA’s best record.
Atkinson, a Long Islander who was inducted into the Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame in 2020 and started his post-playing career as a Knicks assistant, was hired by the Nets in 2016. They went 48-116 in his first two seasons, which fed his early-morning workouts and desire to prove he belonged.
“I was a little crazy,” Atkinson said before Monday night’s game. “I was desperate to make it. I didn’t want to fail. I really got after it, but I knew even after two years in Brooklyn, it was bad for my health.
“It was almost like we’re at the bottom. We’re the worst team in the league. There was a desperation to get better.”
The Nets improved, going 42-40 and reaching the postseason in his third season, but Atkinson was let go after the team missed the playoffs in the pandemic-affected 2019-20 season.
He spent the next four seasons as an assistant, one with the Los Angeles Clippers and three with Golden State, winning an NBA title in 2022 alongside Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
“The journey after Brooklyn really helped me grow as a coach,” Atkinson said. “But I will tell you I’m competitive, and when you have setbacks, you remember things, right? … You’re motivated to prove people wrong.”
Atkinson said he has started delegating more responsibility to his assistants, and his coaching evolution has clearly benefited the Cavaliers. Atkinson and the Cavs won their first 15 games, the most in NBA history for a coach with a new team, and they have not stopped winning, sitting ahead of the defending champion Boston Celtics atop the Eastern Conference.
The Cavs’ Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert played for Atkinson in Brooklyn and have seen his evolution.
“I yell at (LeVert) every once in a while just to keep him on his toes,” Atkinson joked. “I do feel freedom to coach those guys harder … because that’s how they want to be coached.”
Atkinson’s return brought back fond memories of basketball-mad New York City.
“It’s a great basketball city. Brooklyn breathes basketball,” Atkinson said. “You walk into a deli, or you walk into a pizza joint, and people know the game and they love the game.”
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