The Charlotte Hornets are without a head coach again.
Last week, it was revealed that Golden State Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson was going to take the big job after the firing of James Borrego.
But then something surprising happened: Atkinson changed his mind.
After accepting the position, conversations between Atkinson and the Hornets’ front office led the coach to believe that he would rather stay with Steve Kerr’s coaching staff in California.
Since a contract was never officially signed, he had every right to back out of the deal.
But this sure stings for the Hornets.
This man really won a championship and said “nahhhhh, I can’t do that whole Hornets thing” lol.
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) June 18, 2022
It can’t be ignored that Atkinson told Charlotte of his about-face on Saturday, just days after his Warriors won the NBA Finals yet again.
As Jay King on Twitter put it, “This man really won a championship and said, ‘nahhhhh, I can’t do that whole Hornets thing.'”
That’s a pretty accurate assessment of what went down.
But can you blame Atkinson?
The Grass Isn’t Greener
We aren’t sure what happened between the Hornets and Atkinson.
In other words, we don’t know why he suddenly decided he didn’t want to work for the organization.
Is the front office too hands-on, too constricting?
Or did he not think he’d mesh well with the young players?
Whatever the reason, Atkinson decided he’d feel more at home with Golden State and you can understand why.
Why would he leave a team that is literally the best in the league for one he doesn’t feel comfortable with?
Taking a head coaching position is a huge commitment and responsibility and it requires moving across the country, endless hours, and a lot of flack from fans and management.
Atkinson isn’t willing to do that unless he’s 100% sure he’s moving to the right team.
NEXT: NBA Insider Shares The Fallout Of Kenny Atkinson's Decision