That's a weird and bad choice, I think. Atkinson did a great job of developing the young guys on the roster and getting them to where they're at, and just as some of the like LeVert are playing the best ball of their career, they let go of the guy most responsible to for making that happen?
I imagine ownership wasn't willing to commit on an extension that Atkinson thought he deserved, and ownership wants to let Irving and Durant pick the coach next year. Still weird they wouldn't just let it ride through the playoffs. Really curious to see where they go, as there aren't any fits right now that are a clear upgrade. Most of the former coaches available are either similar to Atkinson (like Joeger), notoriously non-star-player friendly, (Thibodeau), or have a history that disqualifies them (Lue). For what it's worth, I think there's always a lot of really talented assistant coaches in the league just waiting for their opportunity, but organizations where decisions are driven by stars and owners tend not to be great at identifying those guys.
As for Atkinson, he'd be a great pickup for the Knicks (or any other team with some young talent on their roster). Between him and Joeger, that's a couple really talented, experienced head coaches on the market.
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