The Cleveland Cavaliers wasted little time in deciding on the future of head coach Kenny Atkinson after their loss to the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Cavaliers plan to retain Atkinson and his coaching staff, according to Joe Vardon of The Athletic. The move comes less than 24 hours after the team’s season-ending 130-93 loss to the Knicks, which saw them swept out of the playoffs.
The decision to keep Atkinson will be a controversial one. He was widely criticized for holding on to his timeouts as the Cavaliers blew a 22-point fourth quarter lead in Game 1. He drew further derision for claiming that the Cavaliers were winning the series analytically, even though his team was on the brink of being swept. The fact that many felt his team quit in Game 4 did not reflect well on him, either.
Atkinson is 116-48 in the regular season since joining the Cavs and won Coach of the Year honors in 2025. However, he is just 13-14 in the playoffs, and while reaching the Eastern Conference Final this season counted as something of a breakthrough, their performance once they got their led to more questions than answers.
The Cavaliers have some key roster decisions to make, though they appear to have already made one big one. Presumably, Atkinson will be expected to progress even further in the playoffs next year, or he might not be back for a fourth season.
