Brooklyn Nets make a great decision to hire Kenny Atkinson

The Brooklyn Nets have made a lot of poor decisions in recent years, but the hiring of Kenny Atkinson to be their next head coach is certainly not one of them.

Atkinson never played professionally in the NBA, but is widely regarded as one of the best talent developers in the league, and has been a great assistant coach for the New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks since 2008.

The Hawks are currently in the playoffs playing the Boston Celtics, and their players couldn’t be happier for their coach.

“My guy!” Teague said when asked about Atkinson after Hawks practice on Monday to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com. “That is the best news you guys gave me today … I have been with him for a while now and all the work he does with me personally, the late nights, the early mornings, to get an opportunity to be a head coach, he deserves it.

“[He’s] a worker, he is someone who knows the game inside and out,” Teague continued to Youngmisuk. “Someone that loves the game. He really loves basketball. He is always in the gym, first one here every day. He wants to win. He is going to bring a different culture to Brooklyn. They are lucky to get a guy like him.”

The current head coach of the Hawks, Mike Budenholzer, has a very good relationship with Sean Marks of the Nets and gave great reviews about Atkinson as a coach.

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“Kenny has a great feel and great knowledge for the game,” Budenholzer said to Youngmisuk. “Those two things are not always synonymous. The feel is sometimes more subtle, more hard to find. And then he has a way of connecting. So when you are talking about player development, you got to understand the game and be able to feel it and then got to be able to communicate it and connect with players.

“He has done that at a high level the whole time we have been here. Player development is a huge part of what we do … When you become a head coach that feel that understanding and ability to take concepts and incorporate it into team concepts and individual, he is gifted that way.”

One of the players that have drastically improved with Atkinson as his coach is Kent Bazemore, who had a breakout season for the Hawks this season.

Feb 13, 2015; New York, NY, USA; World Team head coach Kenny Atkinson of the Atlanta Hawks (left) instructs World Team guard Andrew Wiggins of the Minnesota Timberwolves (22) during the second half against the U.S. Team at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

“He always has this good aura and swagger about himself,” Bazemore said to Youngmisuk. “Even just how he walks around, he still stays in shape, he is out here warming up barefoot, doing push-ups. He is just as into it as we are, and he was a point guard and point guards are special. They are the kind of people you don’t come by a lot in the game of basketball. As far as how you know they can translate it from the court to off the court and put it into certain words for you so you understand. He is very good at that.

“And his workouts, a lot of ball-handling stuff, a lot of pick-and-roll stuff, which is what you need to survive in this league,” Bazemore continued. “If you can’t run pick and roll as a wing it is going to be tough for you. He has one of the most integral parts of the offense, pick and roll, down to a T.”

Kyle Korver understands that Nets’ situation isn’t ideal with a lack of draft picks, but still has full confidence that Atkinson will do a great job in New York.

“He has been awesome for us here in Atlanta,” Korver said of Atkinson Youngmisuk. “I think our player development has been second to none the last four years. I think it has been amazing watching guys develop and grow and Kenny leads that.

“He’s going to be a great coach,” Korver added to Youngmisuk. “He’s got a great mindset. He is really detailed and understands the culture. [The Nets] are in a tough spot where they don’t have draft picks. It is a tough scenario to walk into, but what they are trying to do is establish player development and a great culture and Sean Marks was in San Antonio and they are going to try to do that. Kenny is the right person for that job.”

Getting a chance to personally meet and learn from Atkinson at All-American Basketball Camp in Long Island, New York when I was a younger, it was quite obvious that he has a real passion for the game and loved teaching the game. It was a pleasure to get to learn about the game of basketball from Atkinson, and he is certainly well-deserving of being the head coach of the Nets.

As the Nets head into this new era in their franchise, having a passionate coach like Atkinson on the sideline will help get the most out of players for the Nets.

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