In one of the most surprising firings in the National Basketball Association in quite some time, the Brooklyn Nets parted ways with head coach Kenny Atkinson of Northport, New York on Saturday. One could argue that Atkinson had done an absolutely sensational job for the Nets this season, and should even get some coach-of-the year votes, but it was apparently not enough.
One could genuinely ask what else could have Atkinson done? The Nets find themselves comfortably in a playoff spot even though they do not have their two top players in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. While being seventh in the Eastern Conference, they lead the ninth place Washington Wizards by six full games.
Yes, the Nets have a record of 29 wins and 34 losses. However not many teams would only be five games back of the .500 mark when there is $68.9 million in salary (combined salary of Irving and Durant this season) out with significant ailments.
Quite frankly, what the Nets have been able to achieve this season is spectacular. Atkinson deserves some of the credit in helping make names out of Spencer Dinwiddie, Joe Harris and Caris LeVert. Not many would have expected DeAndre Jordan to have a strong season without Irving and Durant, but he has produced 10 rebounds per game.
The Nets now have Jacque Vaughn of Los Angeles, California as their new bench boss. Vaughn, who has three seasons of coaching experience with the Orlando Magic from 2012 to 2015, will come into a situation knowing that he is replacing a coach that did not necessarily have a resume that warranted a firing. On Monday, Michael Pina of SB Nation wrote the headline, “The Nets will regret firing Kenny Atkinson.” I definitely agree.
