Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images
Golden State Warriors assistant coach
Kenny Atkinson has reportedly “emerged as a front-runner” to fill
the Charlotte Hornets’ head coaching vacancy.
Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The
Athletic reported Friday that Atkinson, who served as the Brooklyn
Nets’ head coach from 2016 through 2020, will have a third interview
with the Hornets next week, and the meeting is expected to include team governor Michael Jordan.
Other finalists include New Orleans
Pelicans consultant Mike D’Antoni, who owns 16 seasons of head
coaching experience, and Terry Stotts, who spent nine years leading the Portland Trail Blazers staff after stints with the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks.
Neither D’Antoni nor Stotts has been scheduled for an interview that includes Jordan, according to
The Athletic.
Atkinson, who spent most of his 14-year
playing career in Europe, switched to the coaching realm in 2004.
He’s served as an NBA assistant with the New York Knicks, Hawks and
Los Angeles Clippers along with time with the Nets and Warriors.
The 55-year-old New York native guided
Brooklyn to a 118-190 regular-season record with one postseason
appearance across three-and-a-half seasons.
Despite that lackluster record,
Atkinson has drawn positive reviews for his “sharp basketball mind
and tireless work ethic,” per Charania and Amick.
He continues to work for the Warriors,
who are facing the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals. On
Thursday, the Celtics took a 1-0 lead in the championship series,
which could run through June 19 if it goes the seven-game distance.
The coach chosen by the
Hornets will inherit a roster on the rise.
Charlotte posted its first winning
record since 2015-16 this season by going 43-39. It earned a place in
the Eastern Conference play-in tournament but lost to Atlanta in the
opening round.
The team’s outlook remains bright
thanks to a core that includes LaMelo Ball (20 years old), Miles
Bridges (24), Terry Rozier (28), Kelly Oubre Jr. (26) and P.J. Washington (23).
James Bouknight (21) and Kai Jones
(21), the Hornets’ two additions from the first round of the 2021 draft, should also take
steps to become more impactful contributors in the years ahead, and
the franchise possesses the No. 13 and No. 15 selections in the
opening round of the 2022 draft.
Having so much young talent creates a
desirable coaching vacancy, but it’ll also put a lot of
pressure on the new coach to quickly push the group toward title
contention.
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