The seat for Kenny Atkinson is only getting hotter as the season approaches.
The idea that Atkinson's job as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers could be in jeopardy would seem inconceivable to someone who watched his first season with the team, a 64-win masterpiece that saw the Cavs dominate the league with a smooth offensive attack.
Yet the reality is that the Cavaliers want to break through and return to the NBA Finals for the first time since LeBron James left in 2018 (and the first time in franchise history without The King), and the Atkinson-led Cavs have fallen short in each of the last two seasons.
And now turmoil across the country could be adding even more pressure to the situation, as a replacement for Atkinson could be available soon: Ty Lue, current head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Ty Lue could come available
The LA Clippers were just struck with severe penalties for going outside of NBA rules to set up sponsorship deals for Kawhi Leonard, funneling tens of millions of dollars to the star forward to lock in his services for the team. They were fined $30 million, their owner and lead executives were suspended, and they were stripped of five first-round draft picks.
Having already traded away James Harden and Ivica Zubac, the Clippers have now officially executed a trade to send Leonard to the Toronto Raptors. That leaves a team with little chance of competing in the Western Conference at any serious level; it's Darius Garland, the overrated Brandon Ingram, and a collection of aging role players and young prospects.
Head coach Ty Lue was not implicated in the case in any way, but he is still being hit with the force of the consequences. Instead of coaching a team with plans on contending, he is suddenly overseeing a rebuild without draft picks. The Clippers have little chance of competing at a high level for years to come.
The last time that Lue was coaching a team that went from playoff contender to bottom dweller was in Cleveland in 2018-19. LeBron James left to play for the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Cavaliers dipped into another rebuild. Lue lasted all of six games before he threw in the towel and got himself fired after an 0-6 start.
Lue was not fired for a lack of success with the Cavaliers, of course. He stepped in for David Blatt in the 2015-16 season and led the team to its first ever championship, then took the Cavs back to the Finals for the next two seasons, often needing to fit constantly changing veteran rosters around LeBron. What Lue was not, however, was a rebuilding coach.
The Clippers have had a winning record in each of his six seasons with the team; Lue remains one of the league's most respected coaches, even if injuries to Leonard and others kept the Clippers from breaking all the way through. Is he going to want to stick around for a long-term rebuild? The answer is probably no.
Could a Cavs-Lue reunion take place?
If Lue is either let go during this season or after it ends, he would instantly be highly-coveted around the association. Teams struggle to find a head coach they can trust, and Lue has proven himself both highly competent and capable of coaching teams to playoff series victories. He would have many offers.
One of those could be from the Cavaliers. If Atkinson leads the team to another solid regular season with a disappointing playoff exit, he could get the axe. The problem with instant success in a place is that if you do not deliver on the raised expectations, you are your own worst enemy. That could absolutely happen to Atkinson this year.
Lue would be an inspired choice to succeed him, a coach with history on Cleveland and a proven track record. It is even possible that the Cavaliers' front office has whispered through back channels to get a sense of whether he would be open to a reunion. NBA teams don't sit back and wait for things to happen.
Atkinson is a talented offensive mind and seems to have support from his players. He has a chance to establish a long career in Cleveland. If this team falls short again, however, his seat will go from uncomfortably warm to scorching hot. And the replacement could be a familiar face.
Add us as a preferred source on Google