Shams: Atkinson to Remain Cavaliers Head Coach; Team Will Look to Bolster Roster in Offseason

As reported by ESPN's Shams on May 27, Kenny Atkinson will stay on as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers for the upcoming season. Furthermore, the Cavaliers' management is anticipated to explore chances to improve the squad in the offseason.

This season, the Cavaliers advanced to the conference finals for the first time since 2018, marking their best playoff performance since LeBron James left the team in 1992. However, they were swept by the New York Knicks, with each loss coming by double digits.

Team insiders reveal that key members of the Cavaliers' front office remain fully supportive of Atkinson. After the team's elimination yesterday, Donovan Mitchell and James Harden publicly voiced their backing for the coach.

"The outside noise is ridiculous," Mitchell said after the game. "We had our best season since 2018, and yet people are still blaming Kenny. Why? We wouldn't have made it this far without his coaching. This team doesn't win on gut instinct alone. I fully support him, the whole team trusts him, and we'll move forward together—that's what matters."

Atkinson signed a five-year contract with the team in 2024, and this will be his third season as Cavaliers head coach. Over the past two regular seasons, he led the team to a 116-48 record, a 70.7% win rate. Although the team fell short of the championship, Atkinson expressed pride in the progress made after the series. In previous two seasons, the Cavs were eliminated in the second round, but under Atkinson, they won two seven-game series to reach the conference finals this year.

Team sources indicate that after the lopsided conference finals loss, the Cavaliers will likely look to make roster adjustments this summer. Team owner Dan Gilbert even tweeted that the team is "still far from its goal."

When asked about his job security, Atkinson responded: "First, I have confidence in myself and in the whole team. Roster changes can be discussed later. The front office has done an excellent job building a strong roster. Like every offseason, there will be adjustments, but since I took over, the team's decisions have been good. We just need to stay the course, trust the process, and move forward together."

After being eliminated in the second round of the 2023-24 playoffs, the Cavaliers fired J.B. Bickerstaff and hired Atkinson, hoping he could lead the team deeper into the postseason. In his first season, Atkinson led the Cavs to 64 wins and won Coach of the Year, but the team again fell in the second round of the playoffs.

This season, the Cavaliers started 17-16 and acquired Harden at the trade deadline to bolster the roster. They eventually made it to the conference finals, and Atkinson considers the season a success overall.

"Our goal was to take the next step," Atkinson said. "The Knicks reached the conference finals last year—the road was always tough. Now we've finally broken through the long-standing barrier."

During the conference finals, Atkinson faced heavy criticism, especially after Game 1, when the Cavs squandered a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter. Down 0-3, Atkinson noted that, from an analytical perspective, the Cavaliers actually performed well in three games—referring to expected shooting efficiency data: Cleveland's actual shooting underperformed expectations, while New York's far exceeded them.

Those remarks drew ridicule outside the arena, but inside the organization, support for Atkinson never wavered.

Harden commented: "He's a coach who truly understands players and knows the team's situation. There will always be someone to blame—maybe me, Kenny, or anyone else—the whole team gets talked about. But Kenny has done a great job. He helped me fit in quickly and made my role clear. This outcome is disappointing. Going through two straight series against tough defensive teams is a challenge for any squad."