KENNY ATKINSON gaining steam for CAVS job!? | Could PAUL GEORGE come to Cleveland? | Locked On Cavs

KENNY ATKINSON gaining steam for CAVS job!? | Could PAUL GEORGE come to Cleveland? | Locked On Cavs

on today’s show we’ve got a coaching update in tons of NBA draft talk with the draft just over 48 hours away it’s locked on Cavs you are locked on Cavs your daily Cleveland Cavaliers podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day for making lock on Cavs your first listen every you can find the show wherever you get your podcast be sure to leave us a fstar review write some nice things as well you can also find the show on YouTube it is free on YouTube be sure to subscribe to the locked on Cavs YouTube channel be sure to like this video if you are watching on YouTube that is the way you can help the show grow the show has grown I think um very well since I took over just under a month ago now the month of June is when I started and we’ve experienced awesome growth very much have appreciated everything that you guys have done in terms of how you’ve consumed it how you’ve reviewed the show it has been a big help please please please help to keep that going I think that this show has an incredibly bright future and I’m so happy to be part of it again part of the lock on podcast Network your team every day Today’s Show is brought to you by FanDuel head on over to fanduel.com right now/ lockon and you can start to make the most out of your summer I know the NBA season is over but there’s so much more to get into with FanDuel on today’s show I want to talk the coaching update we got a report from Mark Stein that we need to talk about want to talk about uh Paul George potentially being you know a candidate to land in Cleveland this off season according to at least one friend of the show and we will dive into some NBA draft talk coming up a little bit later with some words from uh experts who know these prospects better than you and I do so we will get into that but a report over the weekend I don’t remember if it was late Friday or if it was Saturday um from Mark Stein a longtime NBA Insider came out and Stein sent out a tweet this actually wasn’t part of his substack and I do you know because of the nature of you know things being behind a pay pay wall I don’t always want to share those things but because Stein just went out and tweeted it I think that this is absolutely fair game to talk about here um but he tweeted that Kenny Atkinson was gaining steam to be the next head coach of the Cavaliers and this is something that came as a surprise to a lot of people certainly myself included um a lot of the stuff that I had been hearing over really the last 10 days or so maybe two weeks but somewhere in that period was that you know people were feeling as if James J bgo was the guy that he was the person that was going to be hired to be the next head coach of the Cavs that it was his job um and that certainly informed a lot of the way I felt in terms of what I thought that this coaching search was going to end up with bgo being the guy so it it caught certainly um a lot of people by surprise when Mark Stein came out and tweeted that Kenny ainson was gaining steam so I think that there are a couple of reasons why this makes sense and I I do think that part of the reason why this process has taken so long to you know I believe we’re at a month since the Cavs fired JB bicker staff it’s been a long coaching search so far but I think part of that reason is I think that both Atkinson and bgo are two supremely qualified candidates and I don’t think that this is a very easy decision for the Cavs or any team for that matter that would be in this position to make I think both of these guys are deserving of head coaching opportunities and I think that this Cav’s job is a very very good job I’ve talked about that at nauseum over the last couple of weeks that I think that this is the best job um I know another job opened up late last week we’ll talk about that a little bit later if we have time on today’s show um in Detroit but I don’t think that that job complicates anything for the Cavs and I know that James BGA was brought up as a potential candidate in Detroit to take over forani Williams but if you’re James brego and you have the opportunity to coach a team that is a not just a playoff Contender but a team that should be seen as a lack to be in the playoffs or a team in Detroit that’s coming off of a 14- win season I think that’s a pretty easy decision to make again there are pros and cons to both jobs there’s no doubt about that but I I think just about any coach would rather have the Cav’s job than the Pistons job and I don’t think that’s a controversial statement to to make um I think it makes sense Kenny ainson now is gaining steam because he and like bgo like I I have felt that if it wasn’t going to be burgo it would be ainson like bgo Atkinson was one of the guys that was mentioned right away think back to when JB bicker staff was relased believed of his duties Adrien woski was the first to report that and in that story WJ mentioned that the Cavs would have interest in Kenny ainson and James brego and here we are four weeks later who are the two names that we keep hearing about the most it’s Kenny ainson it’s James brego so I don’t think that this should come as some gigantic shock that Atkinson is gaining Steam but I do think the timing of it is is very curious and I can’t figure out why that this has taken so long the only thing that I can point to as to why this has been something that has been such a long and drawn out process is because it’s really close for the Cales between these two guys to where they feel and that is a good place to be and a bad place to be I I do think it’s a bit of both it’s a good place to be because the organization does feel as if either one of these guys would do a good job that either Kenny ainson or James brego could be a really good head coach in Cleveland that is something that is it’s comforting to hear certainly you would rather have that than the alternative there’s no doubt about that but on the flip side this has taken a while and for it to be four weeks later and there was a lot of whispering I think around the NBA it’s fair to say that it was going to be bargo’s job and then to have things change this deep in the process is interesting and that is something that I can’t quite figure out as to why Kenny Atkinson is gaining steam now if Kenny Atkinson would have gained steam two weeks ago two and a half weeks ago even a week ago okay I think it would have made more sense but as we you know I think I also think it’s fair to say that we are closer to the finish line of this search than the starting points um you know if there are still four plus more weeks of this search to go on that’s that’s a really long time I cannot picture that happening so we’re closer to the end than the start I do like Atkinson um I flip-flopped a little bit between these two guys Atkinson was the guy that I liked right away and I’ve sort of shifted to bgo just because ainson now is the guy that’s gaining steam doesn’t mean I’m going to flip-flop back but this is also isn’t something that I’m going to be upset or mad about if that is the direction that ultimately the Cavs go in I really did enjoy what Atkinson was able to do in Brooklyn before Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving got there and then once that situation started I think that he got a bit of a raw deal was he perfect no um I think he would probably tell you he learned quite a bit from that experience and that’s something that he’s taken with him and would you know be helpful in his next stop as a head coach whether that’s in Cleveland if he gets this job or if he ends up with another job at a certain point in time and it’s not in Cleveland I think that there were lessons he learned from that but I thought that he was able to get a team that wasn’t very good in Brooklyn this is pre Durant and Irving on the Nets I think he was able to get that team get the most out of them and you could say that about some of these previous Cavs teams that maybe not the last two certainly not this past year but you could say that about JB bicker staff but here’s why I think that’s different I think JB got the most out of teams in Cleveland because he got them to play defense and that is something that yeah part of it skill set part of it is roster construction but I think a big part of that is effort especially with younger teams and younger players which the Cavs had been I think Kenny ainson got the most out of the Brooklyn teams that he had before again before Kevin Durant before Kyrie Irving because of the offense and that is something that I think is a little bit more challenging to do with younger teams because especially when you have younger guards as they did at time I mean Kenny ainson helped to make D’Angelo Russell an All-Star and that has been a far cry from who d’angela Russell has been for the rest of his career and then the other thing that I do really like about Atkinson is the fact that he has spent the last handful of seasons in Golden state with the Warriors because to me being around a winning culture being around a culture like that and being part of a championship team even if it’s not as a head coach if it’s as an assistant which he has been is something that I do think is really good for him as a coach to where he can draw back on that experience as he’s coaching through difficult times because not every time is going to be easy so those are the things that I do like about ainson um I’m still at the point where bgo has become my number one target for the Cavs that’s my preferred Target I don’t think either one of these guys well obviously I don’t think that with brego but I don’t think Kenny ainson would be a bad hire by any stretch of the imagination and if you would have told me four weeks ago that Kenny ainson was going to be the guy I would have been very happy with that he was the guy again initially that was at the top of my list so that is just something to think about um we’re going to find out more I think this week Kobe Alman at his end of season availability he mentioned that he would like to have a head coach in by the NBA draft he said that might be a bit of a a tall task I’m not sure the exact phrase he used but essentially a bit of a tall task to get that done I doubted that at the time I my thinking was well it’s like four and a half weeks away you know what what’s going to take that long to get it done and here we are where the NBA draft is less than 48 hours out I don’t think having a coach in play by the draft is all that important like it’s not the biggest deal in the world partially because how much say is a head coach going to have in who a team selects at number 20 overall um like if the Cavs were picking in the lottery I think this is a bigger deal if the Cavs had the first pick I think this is a much bigger deal I will say I think it’s very very important that the Cavs have a coach in place whether it’s Atkinson or somebody else by the time the new league year opens up I think that is vital I do not think it would be very wise to go into next weekend when free agency opens up and we will talk a ton about free agency throughout this week I don’t think it’d be very wise to go into free agency in the start of the new league year without having a head coach I think that is I don’t want to call it a catastrophe because I think that’s extreme but I think that is a a bit of a mess that could be avoided so I would expect the Cavs to get something done in terms of who is going to be hired as the next head coach sooner than later I think that’s something that it makes sense to me that it would happen this week I want to get to the draft stuff but I want to talk a little bit about Paul George in Cleveland next right here on lockdown Cavs Today’s Show is brought to you by eBay Motors passion drive and patience the formula for winning championships is also what keeps your ride or die alive eBay Motors has everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level it up to Peak Performance superchargers roof racks LED headlights exhaust kits so much more eBay Motors has it whether you’re in a speed power or style eBay Motors has you cover just what you want with over 122 million parts for your number one ride or die you’ll always find exactly what you’re looking for and with eBay guaranteed fit your part is guaranteed to fit your ride every time or your money back because with eBay Motors you’re burning rubber not cash that’s that’s important you don’t want to be burning cash burning rubber all right burning cash no thank you with all the parts you needed the prices you want it is easy to make your car the MVP and bring home huge wins keep your ride or die alive at ebaymotors.com eligible items only exclusions apply eBay guaranteed fit only available to us customers so FR of the show Greg Schwarz from Bleach Report Greg was on last week two weeks ago at this point we did a two-part episode if you missed that go back but we put together essentially three trades that we would love to see be considered for the Cavs this year but Greg wrote on Bleacher Report um he was tasked with sort of taking a potential guy that’s available a trade um like Carl Anthony towns was on there from Minnesota and I know we talked about him on that episode a couple weeks back but towns isn’t somebody that is viewed as you know for sure getting moved but you know if he is moved maybe the Brooklyn Nets are a candidate that’s the type of thing that Greg put together and for the Cavs he had Paul George and that is something to me that I understand Paul George might not be what what Paul George once was and the Cavs have already been down this road once to win they there were rumors or there were offers made about the team making a a deal for Paul George back when he was still on the Pacers that obviously didn’t come to fruition as George was traded to OKC and then from OKC of the Clippers well right now Paul George is contemp plating a player option and what the Insiders are saying essentially is that if George opts into his contract it’s probably not to sign a contract extension with the Clippers it’s probably so he can pick his destination and be traded somewhere the Cavs make a ton of sense there they do the Cavs I think have the pieces that could get that sort of trade done now I need to plug it in to see what the money looks like I haven’t done that that’s going to be on my list of things to do today but that is something to where would you be good giving up both Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland for Paul George I would be I understand both those guys are Allstars I like Jared Allen a lot I like Darius Garland a lot but Paul George would fit this team perfectly he would be everything that the Cavs are looking for and I think he is one of the few guys that immediately could walk into this roster and I’m not saying that I expect this to happen because I don’t but he’s one of the few guys that I think could immediately walk into this roster and take this team up a notch from a second round exit team to a if he is healthy and that is a big knock with him if he is healthy this is a team that I think becomes a championship Contender if Paul George is added to it if you’ve got Donovan Mitchell Max stru Paul George Evan Mobley maybe Dean Wade maybe somebody else starting at the four if that’s your starting five I feel really really good about it I’m not sure it’s something that’ll get done in fact I wouldn’t expect this to be something that gets done I don’t think we’ve heard a ton about the Cavs being connected there but I do think that it’s it’s interesting that Greg put that out there on Bleacher Report and I think it would be such an incredible fit if it were to happen um I’m not sure how many players out there I think would be a better Fit For What the Cavs need this offseason I don’t think it’s a long list especially if you don’t want to talk about LeBron because like LeBron is the perfect fit Paul George is a really really great fit too that’s it’s something to think about um and you know it it was something that it raised an eyebrow I’ll just say that it raised an eyebrow when it when I saw the Cales being just a maybe a surprise Suitor is the way I think it was termed for Paul George something that that raise an eyebrow it’s just something to keep an eye on all right I promis NBA draft talk today so the thing that I went through is you know I had Brad on on Friday’s show if you miss that go back and listen we had a great discussion about the draft certainly some guys that he is he thinks could be good fits for the Cavs he knows the NBA draft better than I do that’s why I wanted to lean upon the experts if I don’t know this stuff guys I’m going to lean upon the experts I know what I know but I also know what I don’t know and for the most part the college basketball prospects are the things that I don’t know all that well trying to learn I’m watching Clips I’m doing what I can but I don’t know it that well so what we’ve done at lock on and what I did today a little bit is we’ve gone through and we’ve put together a bunch of like prepackaged Snippets of some of the local locked on hosts talking about guys that are draft eligible that should be taken in the first round and I also went through and I went through a hand fck drafts just to see just to take the temperature as we get closer for who the Cavs are projected or you know could be there at 20 for them so there’s a couple guys that I wanted to pull up so the first one the athletic and Sports Illustrated both had the Cavs selecting kesan George out of Miami at number 20 overall George is 6’8 6’1 Wings fan good shooter Miami didn’t have a good year this year year um but George did shoot around 40% from three with Miami so certainly something that I do think that can that can translate but I could tell you more I could read off stats instead what we’re going to do for a couple of guys I’m going to play video clips of some of our locked on hosts talking about the players that they know right now better than I know so this is what lockon had to say about kaan George Miami Hurricanes combo guard kesan George is ready to start his pro career after a oneandone season in Coral Gables I am Alex Dono from lockon kanes Kean George’s length and versatility make him a high ceiling NBA Prospect he’s 6 foot eight an excellent shooter very good ball handler those attributes LED Miami head coach Jim Lena to use him extensively at the point George played in 30 games started 16 as a freshman averaging 7.8 points three rebounds 2.2 assists per game he shot over 42% from the floor just under 41% from three hean George was born in Switzerland played in France be for for four years before joining the Hurricanes George might need some g-league seasoning before he’s ready to be a full-time NBA contributor but the potential is certainly there a player comp for him is Joe Engles for more on kesan George and all things hurricanes follow And subscribe to locked on canes on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts so the one thing there that Alex brought up that I that stuck out to me is that this is a guy that might need a little bit of g-league experience and I don’t think that would be the worst thing in the world because the Cavs are in a position where I don’t believe they’re counting on the guy at number 20 to come in right away and make an instant impact for winning I don’t I think if you’re looking at another situation maybe not quite the same as ammani Bates because ammani was drafted in the late second round and was on a two-way where you know when you’re a first- round pick you’re getting that guaranteed contract so it’s not quite the same situation but if if you’ve got a little bit of a variation to that situation I don’t think it’s the worst thing in the world um a guy that I don’t necessarily think would need that g-league seasoning and this is the guy that I am the probably not the highest on as a prospect but this is the guy that I think would probably be the best fit for the Cavs if he’s there at 20 and that’s Tristan da Silva Tristan D Silva is taking his talent to the NBA after a great four-year career in Boulder I’m Kevin a host of locked on bus and I’m going to tell you everything you need to know about Tristan D Silva DVA is a Ford who is 23 years old and was named to two all Pack 12 Conference teams during his career one of which was his past season he averaged 16 points grabbed five boards and his skill set is something that will immediately translate to the NBA because he’s a lot like Kyle Anderson he plays defense he hits Threes And every NBA team needs that Pronto they need it by yesterday and he could do just that for more on Tristan D Silva and all things Colorado follow And subscribe to lock on Buffs on YouTube YouTube or wherever you get your podcast now with the Silva I’m not sure the defense is going to translate all that well to the NBA like I wouldn’t expect him to come out and be an all defense guy ever in his career but I think the shot is going to translate um I have very little question about that and if that’s the case that’s a guy he is a guy especially considering the experience that he had where he’s you know I I think 23 years old right where he’s of that age and has that experience he’s not someone that I think would need a ton of seasoning I don’t think his ceiling is super high but I think his floor is and if the cabs feel that they need to find somebody at 20 that has to make an instant impact that’s the type of guy that going after makes sense I’ve got two more of these but first I need to tell you I need to tell you about FanDuel because today’s show is brought to you by FanDuel I love sports you love sports um I never want Sports to stop right I just I want I want playoff action every day and NBA season that has come and gone there will be summer league coming up soon though there there will be some summer league that you’ll be able to get a little bit of action into um but as the playoffs do wind down an end we get fewer games right now like we’re not in that sweet spot on the sports calendar but FanDuel does let me keep going when I’m not getting all the sports I want because they’ve got a little bit of everything that you could want um listen we know I know the Cavs really well I follow the Cavs closer than anything but you know what else I am I’m a big Cleveland Guardians fan I am I love watching the Guardians play and they’re coming off of a three-game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays uh this weekend in Cleveland they’ve got a seven and a half game lead in the AL Central so I’m just going to allow myself to dream just a little bit just just just dreaming a little bit they’re plus 2200 to win the World Series on FanDuel right now plus 2200 I mean they’re not the shortest odds they’re like like fourth or fifth in the American League which I don’t quite understand I love that value right now let me dream a little bit let me put a little bit of coin on the Cleveland Guardians to win the World Series like that that is my my dream and I can do it on FanDuel I can make that dream I can’t make it reality I can’t make them win the World Series but I can have a little bit more stake in that dream thanks to FanDuel so head over to fanduel.com SL lockon because this summer FanDuel is hooking up all customers with a boost or bonus daily that’s right there’s something for everybody every day all summer long go to fanduel.com lockon that’s fanduel.com n and start making the most out of your summer fandel the official sports betting partner of Major League Baseball so up next is a guy that we talked about a little bit with Brad on Friday and that is a a big forward from Kansas Johnny Fury he he’s I think a good shooter I think somebody that could help this team but he might need be somebody that needs seasoning a little bit um I I don’t know if it would be necessarily as Extreme as some of the other guys might be I don’t know how NBA ready he’s going to be and that’s sort of the you know you’re playing roulette with the draft sometimes it it can be a crapshoot um but let’s hear a little bit more about him Johnny Fury from Kansas is a player perfectly suited for the NBA I’m Derek Johnson from lockon Jayhawks he’s a foot 8ish Wing who at 19 years old was a soaring late Riser went from nearly being in a future High School recruiting class to reclassifying to showing flashes off the bench to then starting in January to then from January through February going off with 12 points per game on 38% from three now it was a mixed bag over his final 13 games just 28% from three there and when Kansas became more relied on him with more injured team you saw some deficiencies in the half court creating his own shots and consistency as well as on the defensive end though there was always a high level of want to and high effort level on that end but overall the shooting and transition play make you think he’s going to be a good fit for the NBA for more on Fury and all things Kansas Jayhawks follow And subscribe to locked on Jayhawks on YouTube or wherever you get your podcast so Fury was somebody that was mocked to the Cavs in um CBS sports’ latest mock by Kyle Boon he had Fury going to the Cavs at number 20 he’s got great spot up numbers as a shooter which I do think in what the Cavs have going offensively and if they are very if they want to keep the core for together if they’re very intent on doing that having a a great spot up shooter probably is the missing piece to their offense I still don’t think that offense is going to be you know Elite with all four of those guys just because the spacing is not ever going to be great but that is something that could certainly help alleviate some of those spacing issues um the last guy that was mocked to the Cavs that we haven’t really talked about is jacobe Walter out of Baylor 6’4 versatile Wing he’s a solid shooter um I could you know read off some stats but we will go to an expert here Baylor has had a player selected in the top 16 of the NBA draft the last three years jacobe Walter is going to be the fourth I’m cam Stewart from locked on Baylor and jacobe Walter had a massive freshman season averaging 15 points a game and four rebounds a game on the way to the Big 12 freshman of the year and with his great shooting ability and I think that defense is going to develop too I can see a lot of like cavius Caldwell Pope in him maybe even some Jaylen Suggs who became a much better shooter for the magic this year I do see him making an impact for someone next year maybe a team that is contending for a playoff spot I could see jacobe Walter absolutely playing a role for that team and for more on Walter and all things bayor follow And subscribe to locked on bayor on YouTube or wherever you get your podcast so I think for me the worry with Walter is the the SI eyes issue only being 6’4 and I didn’t I don’t have his wingspan right now in front of me but only being 6’4 I feel like the Cavs have a lot of those guys like that is basically Isaac aoro and I think Isaac aoro is a very good player but do you need another one of him where you’ve got an undersized two or an undersiz three that is a good Defender that is a good shooter but at the end of the day isn’t the 6’8 6′ n guy that I think the Cavs really are missing um we will have more draft talk tomorrow in some semblance then we will do I will likely go live on Wednesday night um I’ve not done a live show yet I’m very excited to do one so mark your calendars I will likely go live Wednesday night sometime after the Cavs make a pick at 20 um probably a half hour or so after um but plan on that plan on a live show Wednesday night on the lockon Cavs YouTube channel of course it’ll be available via podcast the next day as well um there’s just one last thing that I want to talk about today before we get out of here and the Pistons fired Monty Williams last week which I don’t think the firing was a surprising I think the timing certainly was a surprising and one of the names that popped up was JB bicker staff as a potential replacement for Monty Williams I think that would be a perfect fit for JB of course who was fired by the Cavs about a month ago I think Detroit would be a fantastic fit for him I think what JB is is a coach that is going to be able to get the most out of a young team that I think can help to develop guys I think the team that he was hired to coach in Cleveland he did a great job with and did a great job for I just think that changed and that’s why I think it was time for a change but I think the team that he would be hired to coach in Detroit he could be perfect for and I think that he is a guy that could Elevate that situation and in getting to know JB a little bit he’s a good guy um you never like to see someone lose their job even if it is ultimately the best thing for the franchise I think that that would be a really good fit for him and I’m truthfully I’m rooting for him to get that job in Detroit I am I I think that he’d be a great candidate there I think that Detroit would get the most out of their current roster um you know I wouldn’t expect them to be in the finals anytime soon but I do think that that is something that could Elevate that franchise back to respectability which that that organization very much needs we’ll be back tomorrow more draft stuff again live show Wednesday night plan on that I we a lot of draft stuff a lot of free agent stuff throughout this week with the new league year starting this weekend again if you haven’t liked this video if you are this deep into the video you’ve not liked it what are you doing give that video a thumbs up make sure you are subscribed to the lockon Cavs YouTube channel subscribe wherever you get your podcast Apple Spotify anywhere else leave us a festar review I’m Danny Cunningham and I will will’ll talk to you tomorrow

Kenny Atkinson is gaining steam to be the next head coach of the Cavs and could Paul George end up in Cleveland?

On Monday’s Locked On Cavs, Danny Cunningham (@RealDCunningham) of Cleveland Magazine and 92.3 The Fan discusses the latest in the Cavs coaching search and gives thoughts on whether or not the team should trade for Paul George. He then chats about a handful of NBA Draft prospects.

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOCavs?sid=YouTube

Locked On NBA League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft, WNBA & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNBA

#Cavs #ClevelandCavaliers #NBA