Where will Kenny Atkinson rank in Cavaliers coaching history?
By John Suchan
Only Cavs coach to win NBA Title: Tyronn Lue in 2016
Certainly, new Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson wants to win a championship. However, that may be a tall task. No other Cavs coach in their history has won a title. Lue had the benefit of coaching the best NBA player on the planet in Lebron James that special 2015-16 season.
Atkinson may not have James but he does have Donovan Mitchell, a player maybe not as gifted as James but a real NBA superstar, nonetheless.
Most wins by a Cavs coach in his tenure: Lenny Wilkens with 316
Lenny Wilkens coached some great Cavs teams from 1986-1993. Those players included Mark Price, Brad Daugherty, Larry Nance, Craig Ehlo, and Hot Rod Williams. They earned 316 wins and made it to the Eastern Conference Championship once in his tenure. If it weren't for the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan , Wilkens would have likely won at least one title back then.
Most losses by a Cavs coach in his tenure: Bill Fitch with 434
This record is a bit deceiving since Fitch was the first Cavs coach ever and coached nine seasons for the Wine and Gold, which is also the longest tenure of any Cavs coach. After many unsuccessful seasons building the new team up, he did manage to get the team into the 1976 playoffs but eventually lost to the Boston Celtics in six games of the Eastern Conference Championship Series.
Best winning percentage by a Cavs coach in his tenure: David Blatt, .675, 83-40 regular season record, .700 14-6, playoff record
While many now in the Cleveland sports media world somehow talk of former Cavs coach David Blatt, negatively, probably because he wasn't able to help the Cavs win titles in 2014 or 2015, he was an outstanding coach and should be given his due accolades. Lebron James is the guy in Cavs history and he and Blatt didn't get along which is why Blatt was fired by the Cavs in January of 2016. The team cited " a lack of fit with their personnel (James) and their vision as a team". What a lousy way to lose your job. The team had a 30-11 record at the time.