Cavs Talk: Donovan Mitchell, Kenny Atkinson Officially In Fold, But Some Work Remains

The Cavaliers are in a good place. That was determined the very minute Donovan Mitchell agreed to a contract extension earlier in the week.

They also introduced new coach Kenny Atkinson, who is already hiring his staff of assistants. For the record, Atkinson and head of basketball operations Koby Altman have made it clear they intend to keep the “core four” together. That would be Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.

The new collective bargaining agreement likely plays a role in that. But so does the Cavaliers’ belief in those four players. Atkinson says they can work.

I discuss that and so much more (including my over-the-top Fourth of July dining experience) in the latest Hoops Wire Live Show on 330 To Go. You can check it out on YouTube right here or simply watch directly below.

Atkinson also sat down for a one-on-one chat with Hoops Wire contributor John Sabol to discuss the very topic of the core four.

“The way I look at it is we have two All-Star guards,” Atkinson told Hoops Wire and Fox 8 News of Mitchell and Garland. “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”

Atkinson shared similar thoughts on Allen and Mobley.

“We’ve got that defensive anchor,” he said of the Cavaliers bigs. “(On offense) it’s a little bit getting it figured out with the spacing.”

• Related | Cavs adding DeMarre Carroll to coaching staff