Kenny Atkinson officially put to rest an ugly rumor about his Cavaliers future

The Cleveland Cavaliers are booming right now. Kenny Atkinson's team is playing its best basketball, even with some injuries. Clearly, those trade deadline moves worked like a charm and elevated their floor at a time of need.

That's why it was only right that Atkinson finally got some flowers again. He was named the NBA Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for February, and, all things considered, voting may not have been close at all.

While that's not the ultimate honor or the biggest prize he can aspire to, it should definitely put an end to the early-season rumors about his future with the organization. He's not going anywhere, and it shouldn't even be a debate anymore.

Cleveland can't afford to move on from Kenny Atkinson

The press release to announce the decision reminded everyone this was Atkinson's third Coach of the Month award, all with the Cavs. It was the first time he earned those honors this season after doing so twice in his first year with the organization, becoming just the third coach to win this distinction at least three times, joining Lenny Wilkens (three times) and Mike Brown (five times).

Further points were added about the Cavs cruising to an 8-3 record in February, tied for the third-best in the East. They rode a seven-game winning streak, and led the Eastern Conference in points per game (120.9) and field goal percentage (49.8 percent). They held their opposition under 100 points three times and held the opposition to 44.6 percent shooting.

Atkinson's arrival worked like a charm in Cleveland. He took what worked from the J.B. Bickerstaff era and installed his free-flowing offense, orchestrating one of the best scoring teams in the league last season. Unfortunately, the Cavs fell flat when it mattered the most.

Then, with some inconsistency and a somewhat slow start to the season relative to the expectations, some thought Atkinson wouldn't last much longer in Northeast Ohio. NBA teams aren't patient, and they have a short memory with coaches who don't deliver, regardless of what they did in the past.

Then again, the Cavs' front office has proven to operate differently. They were extremely patient with the core four, so they shouldn't take a different approach with the guy pulling the strings from the sidelines.

Koby Altman gave Atkinson the pieces he needed to take this team to the next level, and February was just a glimpse of what this team is capable of when they're at full strength.