NBA Exec Warns Cleveland Cavaliers About Potentially BIG Problem in LeBron James Reunion
· Yahoo Sports
An NBA executive suggests that if the Cleveland Cavaliers want to have a third go-around with LeBron James, they need to make sure he and head coach Kenny Atkinson are a good fit.
With Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, Jaylen Brown, and even Ja Morant finding new homes over the last few weeks, the basketball world is focused on where James takes his talents next. Last week, he informed the Los Angeles Lakers that he would not return for the 2026-27 season and is now the biggest name on the free-agent market.
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Even before his departure from LA was official, the assumption around the league was that the Golden State Warriors and the Cavaliers were his top suitors. While the Miami Heat have also emerged as a serious contender over the last week, various reports point to the Cavs being the leader in the clubhouse in the chase for the 22-time All-Star.
The Cavaliers bringing back the player they took with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, for a third and final tenure to chase their second championship, feels perfect. However, one NBA executive offered up an interesting opinion to ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill.
Is LeBron James and Kenny Atkinson a good fit?
“LeBron can influence the balance of power in the conference,” the executive said. “He’s not a driver, not on a night-to-night basis. [But] having him around, he picks and chooses his spots. I wonder how he would fit with Kenny Atkinson?”
– Anonymous NBA executive
This isn’t Atkinson’s first head coaching job. From 2016 to 2020, he served as the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets. And it seemed like he had turned the corner with the team after the 2018-19 season. However, in 2019-20, the Nets brought in superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, and he was fired after that campaign. There is a belief that the pair of stars did not mesh with Atkinson and forced him out after a year together.
James has also had up-and-down relationships in the past with coaches. The executive’s opinion is probably alluding to that. Can Atkinson and his coaching style blend with how the future Hall of Famer prefers to be coached? The 59-year-old developing a solid relationship in the second half with James Harden might be proof he learned from his failure with Durant and Irving and knows how to handle superstars better.
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