The Cleveland Cavaliers are off to a disappointing 15-14 start this season under head coach Kenny Atkinson after the team clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference last season with a 64-18 record.
Seat Getting A Little Warm For Kenny Atkinson
Amid hot-seat rumors, a source close to the team told NBA insider Marc Stein on Sunday that Atkinson’s job is likely safe, despite a frustrating start in his second year with Cleveland.
“One source close to the process, however, pushed back to The Stein Line on the idea that any dismay from Gilbert would have any immediate impact on Atkinson, noting that Gilbert had perhaps the strongest voice in Northeast Ohio backing the selection of Atkinson as J.B. Bickerstaff’s successor over current New Orleans interim coach James Borrego,” Stein wrote.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst also added in the latest episode of his Hoop Collective podcast that while the seat for Atkinson “is starting to get a little warm,” a coaching change isn’t on the horizon.
“My assessment in speaking to folks around the team is that they believe the best approach right now is to try to work through this, get healthy, and find ways to improve and get through it,” Windhorst said starting at the 20:32 mark. “I don’t think radical change or roster change is coming.”
Atkinson Won NBA Coach Of The Year
The Cavaliers started the 2024-25 season with one of the longest winning streaks in NBA history, winning their first 15 games, which made Atkinson the only head coach in NBA history to win the first 15 games to start a tenure with a franchise.
It was the fourth time in NBA history a team started the regular season with a 15-0 record, joining the 1948-49 Washington Capitols, 1993-94 Houston Rockets, and 2015-16 Golden State Warriors.
In addition, last season marked the first time that Cleveland clinched a division title since 2018 and won a division title without LeBron James on its roster since 1976.
Atkinson was later named NBA Coach of the Year after the Cavs finished 64-18 in the regular season.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Cavaliers swept the eighth-seeded Miami Heat.
Cleveland, however, lost in five games to the Indiana Pacers in the second round. It was the team’s second straight loss in the conference semifinals.
Cavaliers Have Struggled This Season
The Cavaliers currently rank seventh in the East. They’ve lost eight of their last 11 games, including three straight in matchups against the Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls.
Windhorst noted that veteran shooting guard Sam Merrill is expected to return to the lineup after missing 14 games. Merrill gives Cleveland a much-needed sharpshooter, as the team is shooting just 33.9% from 3-point range.
Forwards Evan Mobley (left calf strain) and Max Strus (left foot fracture) remain out due to injuries.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Thursday that the Cavaliers have been getting “a ton of incoming calls from on their players” ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
“When I talk to rival teams, Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley are really the two untouchable players on this roster,” Charania said while on NBA Today.
The next month will determine how aggressive Cleveland is ahead of the trade deadline, per Charania.
The Cavaliers are in bad spot right now because they lack cap flexibility. They have the league’s largest payroll ($231.1 million), and they’re $22 million into the second apron of the luxury tax.
