Kenny Atkinson has Cavaliers poised to be thorn in Knicks’ side
NY Post
The STORY, as I’ve heard it, is that Kenny Atkinson realized his Nets days were numbered after a team meeting called by himself, the coach.
Players passionately aired their issues in this postgame locker room gathering and Kevin Durant, who wasn’t even playing that season, became a vocal critic of the state of the team. Keep in mind the Nets were overachieving, at least in my view, still fighting for a postseason spot despite regular DNPs from their top dogs. But Atkinson hadn’t yet established a good connection with Durant or Kyrie Irving — which was difficult since neither was suiting up — and assessed he didn’t have time to work it out before the ax fell.
So Atkinson told Nets president Sean Marks, and I’m paraphrasing, “If you’re going to fire me at the end of the season, just do it now.”
Marks obliged. And nobody came out of the Brooklyn disaster looking better than Atkinson.
Now he’s Tom Thibodeau’s problem to solve.
Atkinson, the Long Island product and an engineer of Linsanity, is the overlooked and underappreciated upgrade of the offseason as the new Cavaliers coach. He returned to New York on Monday and left the Garden still undefeated with a 110-104 victory, reiterating Cleveland’s status as a top threat to thwart the Knicks’ lofty goals this season.
PORT ST. LUCIE — For now, Craig Kimbrel is choosing Mets purgatory.
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Zion Williamson is slimmer and healthier for his trip to MSG.
Don’t blame Mikal Bridges for his paltry stats. Blame the role.
Almost a year to the day after a goaltender interference call against Kyle Palmieri lost the Islanders a game against the Blue Jackets that started their season’s death spiral, they were on the wrong end of another controversial call against those same Blue Jackets that might have had the same effect.
On the Queens side of town, the reno began in earnest almost as soon as Francisco Lindor grounded into the 4-6-3 double play. That ended a 4-0 loss before a rare sizable crowd at Miami’s loanDepot Park last Sept. 27, all of them there to witness the final death rattles of an epic baseball calamity.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is being paid handsomely for his breakout season.
Next comes the harder part. Mostly because it can’t get any easier.
It was Kids Day at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, but for the Rangers, it’s been All About The Kids for months.
PORT ST. LUCIE — From the moment he was told he needed surgery on his left hamate bone, Francisco Lindor fixated on the recovery time. Trainers provided the Mets shortstop a six-week pathway to return to play, and Lindor was determined to hit every marker.
Dylan Garand knew the number off the top of his head. He knew that, between the regular season and playoffs, he’d logged over 160 games with AHL Hartford, and he was right. Before the Rangers recalled him Friday, Garand had served as the Wolf Pack’s goaltender 165 times.
SAN DIEGO — As you may have seen elsewhere in this newspaper (and also if you haven’t deleted me yet from your social media), I have a book coming out Tuesday called “The Bosses of The Bronx.” Much of it details the 37 years’ worth of antics, winning, losing, winning again and overall mania of George Steinbrenner’s time with the Yankees.
Don’t close the curtain on “Mean” Joe Greene.
The Knicks are on a five-game winning streak and flooded with concerns.