Breaking: Nets’ Kenny Atkinson Agrees To Step Down As Head Coach

Breaking: Nets’ Kenny Atkinson Agrees To Step Down As Head Coach

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by | Mar 7, 2020 | Featured, NBA

The Brooklyn Nets announced Saturday they’ve decided to mutually part ways with head coach Kenny Atkinson after just three-plus years with the team.

Brooklyn owns a 28-34 record and over the last three-plus years, Atkinson has accumulated a 90-156 record during his tenure as the man in charge of the seventh-seeded team in this year’s playoff listing.

In what was one of the more jarring moves of the season, the Nets will now look to current assistant coach Jacque Vaughn to take over all head coaching responsibilities for the remainder of the 2019-2020 season. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke down the details on Atkinson’s departure, citing the sense that Nets General Manager Sean Marks and Atkinson were deep in several conversations pertaining his job status as head coach, and that a change was “inevitable”, with both sides agreeing that both sides decided that there was no sense on waiting until the end of the season to let Atkinson walk.

Both had felt that it was necessary to look in different directions, as the bonding of Atkinson and the Nets had “run its course” together.

Brooklyn was already on a tailspin losing five of their previous six games before Friday night’s win over San Antonio. During a season that wouldn’t see the return of the hampered Kyrie Irving, who just underwent successful arthroscopic shoulder surgery a week prior, Atkinson seemingly knew things were peeling off at the seams.

“You’ve got to get a little uncomfortable when you’re not doing well. I think that’s part of the philosophy. You’ve got to feel that,” Atkinson confessed to reporters Monday. “It’s great having days like this, two days in between, allows you to really practice and get things done.”

Other reports surrounding Atkinson’s exodus were that some players actually wanted him out of the building.

The process, as Nets fans and management probably felt, was to let this year go by, and by next year when new Brooklyn Net Kevin Durant gets fully healed, challenge for an NBA Finals berth in the tedious Eastern Conference next year with both Durant and Irving rejuvenated from the ailments that have kept them on the sidelines this season, all with Atkinson leading the charge.

His blue-collar identity was what got them to this point, as he’s been known to build playoff-ready rosters out of non-household name core pieces, especially during this season with players like Spencer Dinwiddie, Caris LeVert, Garrett Temple, Jarrett Allen, and others. Now, Marks will be extemporaneously put to the test in finding a worthy enough suitor for a head coach to lead Brooklyn to the forefront of a tough and unforgiving conference in future seasons.

The 52-year-old native New Yorker was previously employed by the cross-borough rival New York Knicks as an assistant coach for four years (2008-2012) and then transferred to Atlanta to be their assistant coach for three years (2013-2016), before being hired by the Nets to become their head coach in April 2016. The team got to the postseason once, in Atkinson’s time with the team, and never advanced past the first round of the playoffs as they got bounced by the Philadelphia 76ers in last year’s race to the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

Brooklyn still possesses a five-game advantage over Washington (23-39), the current ninth seed in the East, and should be good to reach the postseason for a second-straight year. As for their new interim head coach, Jacque Vaughn is a former NBA point guard who won a championship as a backup guard with the Spurs in 2007. He retired in 2009, and just like Tim Duncan today, became an assistant head coach under Gregg Popovich in 2010.

The 45-year-old University of Kansas export was previously employed by the Orlando Magic from 2012 to 2015, compiling a 58-158 record. He has been under Atkinson’s wing as an assistant since Atkinson’s hiring four years ago.

Mar 7, 2020 No Comments
SR – NBA Prime Time Preview: Milwaukee Bucks at Los Angeles Lakers

SR – NBA Prime Time Preview: Milwaukee Bucks at Los Angeles Lakers

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by | Mar 7, 2020 | Featured, NBA

In the second Friday night ESN Prime Time NBA showdown of the night, LeBron James gets another crack at knocking off the league-best 53-9 Milwaukee Bucks who visit the Staples Center this time around, tipping off at 10:30 p.m. ET.

It’s a full-fledged battle of the titans in ESPN’s second televised game of the night, as both teams who are respectively No. 1and No. 2 in a variety of different team stats square off for the second and final time unless the two squads see each other in June during the 2020 NBA Finals.

A surprising defeat against the Memphis Grizzlies is the lone blemish for the Lakers in their last ten games, as they’ve maintained their Western-best record of 47-13. After returning home, they found a way to stifle the length and height of a  banged-up Sixers squad, and in sound fashion in their 120-107 win, albeit with Philly missing both Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.

Anthony Davis and LeBron James combined for 59 points, and at times AD just looked unstoppable in his quest to dominate Philly, scoring from any and everywhere on the court. Davis remains one of the most devastating pick-and-roll threats in the league, and Giannis is going to have his hands full in not only attempting to replicate the defensive tenacity he showed in their previous game against the Lakers back on December 19.

In that game, in which the Lakers succumbed to the hot shooting of the Bucks in a 111-104 loss, the two teams were even when looking at the stats and overall field goal percentages from both teams, but weren’t able to defend the transition attack by Antetokounmpo, Brook and Robin Lopez, and a majority of their offensive attack was carried out without Eric Bledsoe.

Tonight, both teams will be healthy, with only Los Angeles’ Alex Caruso potentially missing out on this Finals preview, so LeBron James and Giannis will more than likely put on a show.

So make sure you don’t miss it!

Mar 7, 2020 No Comments
SR – NBA Prime Time Preview: Miami Heat at New Orleans Pelicans

SR – NBA Prime Time Preview: Miami Heat at New Orleans Pelicans

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by | Mar 7, 2020 | Featured, NBA

The New Orleans Pelicans and Zion Williamson prepare to perform yet again in front of the nationally televised spotlight in a contest versus the Miami Heat, who are coming off of arguably the most momentous win of the season over Milwaukee earlier this week.

Miami begins a quick two-game road trip by heading down south to play New Orleans and then will head back up north to play Washington on Sunday night. This marks the first time that the likes of the defensively stout Heat get a taste of the bully-ball-savvy Williamson, who has averaged an absurd 24 points per game and has scored 20+ points in 13 straight games.

These teams both matchup well, and poorly with one another, further upping the interest factor in what might turn out to be a shootout down the stretch. Lonzo Ball and the now-healthy Kendrick Nunn will be a fun battle to witness during prime time, as will the duel between Jrue Holiday against Duncan Robinson and Goran Dragic. For another game, however, Miami will have to coach around Tyler Herro’s absence as he will not be in attendance due to him rehabbing a lingering ankle injury.

And of course, what would this game be without Jimmy Butler and Brandon Ingram going toe-to-toe for the entire night, or whenever Pels coach Alvin Gentry and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra have them on the court simultaneously.

Expect a mix of different zone defensive coverages from both teams, since it’ll be difficult for a litany of skillful players at each position to guard their initial assignments 1v1 for the duration of the 48-minute contest. What’s for sure though, is that Williamson will be tasked with getting his shot and bumping down low with Bam Adebayo, this year’s Most Improved Player award frontrunner with his 16.1 points, 10.5 rebounds, 5 assists and 1.3 blocks per game. He usually towers over ballhandlers who dare to enter his paint but will have his hands full with a rookie that packs a punch in Williamson.

Miami has won four in a row, all at home, and are looking to continue to create space between them and the Pacers as well as the Philadelphia 76ers, who are quite banged up at the moment. As for New Orleans, they’re fading quickly out of the playoff predictions as locks to make it to the April tournament, losing their last three games to the Lakers, Timberwolves, and Mavericks. These losses coming at the most inconvenient time, as they’ve dropped five of their last eight and are in danger of dropping to a one-game cushion ahead of Phoenix for the 12th spot in the West.

Tip-off is at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Mar 7, 2020 No Comments
SR – NBA Prime Time Preview: Toronto Raptors at Golden State Warriors

SR – NBA Prime Time Preview: Toronto Raptors at Golden State Warriors

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by | Mar 6, 2020 | Featured, NBA

Stephen Curry is in a starting lineup for the first time since October 30 as he’ll help the 14-48 Golden State Warriors defend Warriors Ground against a familiar foe in the Toronto Raptors inside the brand new Chase Center, live on TNT at 10:30 p.m. ET.

Of course, this marks the first time in franchise history that these two franchises won’t face off in the legendary Oracle Arena, and this marks the first time this season that the two former NBA Finals participants square off since Toronto got the last laugh this past June in their 4-2 series win and first achieved title in franchise history.

And it’s just the funniest coincidence that the Warriors’ two-time MVP and three-time champion point guard comes back against the team that kickstarted this snowball effect for last decade’s most dynastic organization. Since Kawhi Leonard won his second Finals MVP against a Warriors team decimated with a flurry of injuries to Kevin Durant (ruptured Achilles) and Klay Thompson (torn ACL), things went from really good, to #TankForWhoever in the span of five months, specifically after Phoenix’s Aron Baynes incidentally landed on Curry’s left hand back on October 30, 2019.

Keep in mind, Curry isn’t all that acclimated to the new arena himself, only playing four games in the Chase Center this season. He’s going to be tasked heavily with the challenge of playing against a fiery Raptors squad that is coming off of a 33-point night from last year’s Most Improved Player Pascal Siakam against Phoenix in a win that got them back into the win column. They are looking to make it two-straight on the road, and keep their cushion against the climbing Celtics who are only a game and 1/2 away from having the second seed in the East.

Without Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol, Chris Boucher’s minutes — and development into a solid contributor off the bench –have become increasingly important. Against Charlotte and Denver, he struggled. But after the bench was called out by Head Coach Nick Nurse for a lack of impact, Boucher responded with the best game of his career against the Suns, scoring 19 points off 5-of-12 shooting in the victory.

That type of response and energy during an emotional night, and he and the Raps taking the floor tonight will have to game plan to stop Andrew Wiggins, who has found a second home in San Francisco. The most intriguing story for the Warriors aside from Curry’s return will be his fit with Wiggins, who’s played something of a de facto point guard when Draymond Green sits.

How the Raptors lock up defensively against the team they defeated in the NBA Finals back in June will be the tale of the night, and during Steph’s 24-28 minutes tonight, it’ll be interesting to see if we’ll get vintage Steph out of the gate in the most suddenly most-anticipated game of the season.

Mar 6, 2020 No Comments
Stephen Curry’s Return To The Hardwood: The Way Back

Stephen Curry’s Return To The Hardwood: The Way Back

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by | Mar 6, 2020 | Featured, NBA

It’s been a long, turbulent way back to the wooden floors of the Chase Center tinted in gold and maple for the premiere Splash Brother Stephen Curry, whom we all regard as perhaps the most dangerous shooter to ever align their fingers within the black seams of a basketball. It’s been a culmination of 58 games, and a multitude of nights not suiting up for his Warriors, though the rehabbing process of mending his broken left hand finally sees its end tonight at 10:30 p.m. on TNT, when the reigning NBA champs in the Toronto Raptors visit the Chase Center for the first time in franchise history to play the talent-deficient Warriors.

Tonight’s game seems like a foregone conclusion, that in essence makes no sense to even document considering Golden State’s legacy of misfortunate events dating back to last year’s Finals loss, sidelining of Curry’s sidekick Klay Thompson with his Torn ACL, and the departure of Kevin Durant to the Brooklyn Nets. Toronto is the second seed in the East and is looking to get a winning streak going during their Western road trip in an “easy” game against Golden State, who is 14-48 on the year.

And here we are in the new normal: that domineering Dubs team that scoffed at any opposition in the past five years and won three championships in the tail-end of the 2010s is now at the bottom of the food chain, peering with open pupils at June’s Draft Lottery and the inevitability of a rebuild that’ll likely keep them out of the playoff picture for the first time since 2013, or at least until next year when they’ll be at full strength with Thompson and Steph sharing the same backcourt.

The two-time MVP and three-time champ will undergo a minutes restriction, as it has been since October 30 that Curry has taken to a basketball court.

And after requiring two surgeries on that injured left hand due to Aron Baynes landing on it a night before Halloween, after spending this year as an understudy of Coach Kerr and a confidant to those attempting to stay on the team for future seasons, after a brief stint in the G-League with Santa Cruz, answering media inquiries about his complacency and security in a trying year and just being the appealing, relatable enigma that he’s been since being that 6’3 180-lb-soaking wet kid drafted out of little Davidson, expect Curry to track around 24-28 minutes tonight with “short bursts of 4-6 minutes” to get Steph’s feet wet, explained by Dubs head coach Steve Kerr just hours ago.

In an interview with ESPN’s Warriors correspondent Nick Freidell, Curry says he is “excited” to play after four months of rehab. In the four contests he’s participated in this season, Curry has averaged 20.3 points, 6.5 assists, and 5.0 rebounds.

But in all honesty, by the time you’ve finished reading this article, Steph probably drilled around 50+ shots and a couple of 40-foot deep balls during his fifth pre-game drill session of the season, because he’s Stephen Curry, and he’s extraordinary, right?

“I think I can play a lot more than that just based on the work that I’ve put in, but you gotta be smart about it in that sense,” he said during the interview. “And you also have to feel the game, too. Obviously, I want to be out there when it matters: finishing quarters, finishing the game and being available in that respect.”

The air inside of the Chase Center tonight will take more of a relieved color, not in the optimism of this lost season suddenly turning around, but because of the love for watching what Steph Curry does, and in the high-level that he does it. We don’t know if there will be some mental hurdle worth paying attention to come tip-off time, and if Curry will portray that apprehensive tone when driving and dashing through the lane, as memories of lightning striking twice and the probability of re-injury coming into play.

He knows that a new normal of some slight nerve damage impacting his ability to affect the outcome of an NBA contest, although he doesn’t exactly expect it to bother him in any way, repeatedly going over how his “new normal” will feel in a game.

“I have confidence in what I need to do with the ball in my hands and with my shot, and being able to take a hit on it and all that type of stuff,” Curry said. “And I just want to get to a point where I don’t think about it on the floor, and hopefully that comes back pretty quick.”

Mar 6, 2020 No Comments