Dribbles: Kenny Atkinson Is All Basketball, All The Time. And He Strongly Believes In Cavs’ Core Four

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Random dribbles on the Cavaliers and their offseason thus far.

1. It took about five minutes of listening to new Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson before I wanted to put on a pair of sneakers and hit the court myself. I also got the feeling if Atkinson weren’t an NBA coach, he’d be just fine coaching a middle school team in Willoughby or Rocky River.

2. That’s just how much Atkinson seemed to live and breathe the game. Some NBA coaches seem to always have some sort of angle, talk about “culture,” talk about everything about the game itself. Not Atkinson. His press conference was more like a speech at basketball camp.

3. Atkinson and Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman talked about the team as if they fully intend to run it back. And you know what? Why not? All of the key players are under contract. That includes Donovan Mitchell, who just agreed to a contract extension and is now under Cavs control for at least three more years.

4. That is the way Mitchell always wanted it. He never considered leaving, sources told Hoops Wire.

5. Atkinson said his priority is building a strong relationship with his players. That’s dead on. I’ve covered the NBA for a long time and have seen coaches who were great at Xs and Os. But they couldn’t sell it because the players didn’t respect them. It all starts with that relationship.

6. Atkinson said he believes he can fix any on-court clunkiness between Mitchell and Darius Garland, or Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. It’s why he got the job.

7. Atkinson to Hoops Wire contributor John Sabol of Fox 8 News: “The way I look at it is we have two All-Star guards. It’s on the coaching staff to figure that out. You put that responsibility on yourself. And they have fit before. It’s just finding the schemes that work best, finding the rotations”

8. The same goes for Mobley and Allen. “We’ve got that defensive anchor,” Atkinson said of the Cavs’ two big men. “(On offense) it’s a little bit getting it figured out with the spacing.”

9. Atkinson added that the great thing about coaching is that you can make adjustments on the fly, and that’s what he intends to do. “I might have one idea right now, but we can tweak that as the season goes, as I get to know the players better,” he said.

10. A lot of people are asking about Garland and whether his camp will request a trade, as has been rumored. Let me just say this — I doubt it.

11. Garland is believed to want to remain in Cleveland, next to Mitchell, and quiet the skeptics. He had a rocky season. He also had an All-Star season a couple years back. The Cavs are willing to find out which player stands up next year. They still very much believe in him.

12. That said, Altman, GM Mike Gansey and the front office are admittedly active in the free agent and trade market. They are leaving “no stone unturned,” as Gansey put it.

13. But they also realize this isn’t fantasy basketball or NBA2K, where it’s easy to make trades. You have a new coach. You have the Mitchell contract situation resolved. Now, what else do you need? The Cavs know the answer to that and they would like to make a splash to add to their so-called “core four.” But you need another team to agree to your ideas, and that’s not always so easy.

14. Fans panic. That makes sense. The word “fan” is short for “fanatic.” But a team’s front office needs to stay composed, explore scenarios, not do anything too crazy. The Cavaliers need some help. They know that. But they are not gutting the roster. They have a young core and believe Atkinson’s coaching style and philosophy can get the likes of Garland and Mobley to reach their potential on a regular basis.

15. That said, this is the NBA and I could see Garland getting traded. Again, I doubt it. But it could happen. Frankly, I don’t see any reason for the Cavaliers to do it now. If you want to make a trade, you have all the way until February. Let’s see how things look on the court in November, December and January.

16. Yes, the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers made some splashy moves. The Boston Celtics won the NBA championship. The Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers will be back. But so what? Nobody wins a single thing on paper. Just ask the Phoenix Suns. Social media predictions usually ring hollow. We have to wait to see how it plays out on the floor.

17. With Atkinson as coach and Mitchell returning, Cavs fans already have plenty of reasons to be excited. Enjoy it for a little while.