NBA Coaches: Ranking head coaches likely to be available this summer

4. Tyronn Lue

Tyronn Lue is an NBA Champion with an all-time coaching record of 128-83. On paper, he looks to be a great coaching option for any team, but he has the curse of having led LeBron James teams. Unfairly, head coaches of his teams are under intense scrutiny.

If you don’t win, the narrative is, “you have the best player in the world, why aren’t you winning?” If you do win, the narrative is, “well, you have the best player in the world, so it has nothing to do with your coaching proficiency.”

Lue picked up for David Blatt with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2015-16 season and was essentially the hand-picked coach by James. The Cavs won the Finals that year and would advance to the title round the following two years.

James left for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018 and Lue was fired after an 0-6 start, but the Cavaliers team that year was fairly devoid of talent.

Some might rank Lue lower here. He may be more of a wild card than some, but he has proven experience managing star talent and personalities. While some might say his path to success was easy, it’s also not a simple task to corral a James-led team and insulate from the media circus that follows.

3. Kenny Atkinson

Kenny Atkinson does not carry the reputation that a just-fired head coach typically does. Atkinson is ready to lead and to win, and every team looking to fill a head coaching position should realize that and consider him.

Atkinson, a part of the Brooklyn Nets rebuild since it started, was a key component to building a developmental and player-first culture in Brooklyn.

The Nets revamped their culture to the point that they were able to swing Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving all in one fell swoop in the 2019 offseason. Unfortunately, that may have been what did Atkinson in.

If Durant and Irving wanted Atkinson around, he’d be around. That’s a speculative statement, but it’s almost certainly factual.

Unfortunately for Atkinson, this is a player-first league, and it appears Atkinson wasn’t the choice of this cluster of players. I’m not so sure bending the principles and culture the team was built on will pay off for the Nets, but no doubt keeping Irving and Durant happy is good for the locker room.

Atkinson’s 118-190 record doesn’t tell the whole story. He’s a hungry coach who has continually led groups of overachievers. In 2018, he coached a squad led by Spencer Dinwiddie and D’Angelo Russell to the playoffs, and they were pests opposed to the Philadelphia 76ers, though they would ultimately lose the series.

Of the new era of coaches, Atkinson seems to be the strongest in terms of Xs and Os and sticking to a consistent system. He doesn’t cause as many questions as, say, Brett Brown does.