For one brief moment, Golden State Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson was the new head coach of the Charlotte Hornets.
And then, suddenly, he wasn’t.
It was announced that Atkinson would be the new coach for the young, up-and-coming Hornets, and fans of the squad seemed quite pleased with that choice.
But then Atkinson changed his mind, reversed his decision, and revealed that he’d be staying as part of Steve Kerr‘s championship coaching staff instead.
This news was quite the shock – and made even more shocking when you hear about how much behind-the-scenes work was being done.
Kenny Atkinson had phoned all of Charlotte’s assistant coaches, and was planning to meet with every Hornets staffer next week after arriving in town ahead of the NBA Draft. Certainly a stunning turn of events.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) June 18, 2022
Jake Fischer is reporting that Atkinson was having conversations with Charlotte’s assistant coaches and was planning to meet with the rest of the Hornets’ staff next week before the NBA Draft.
But that won’t happen now and the speed of Atkinson’s change of heart is causing many to wonder what went wrong.
Au Revoir, Atkinson
What could cause Atkinson to decide to make such a drastic backtrack and stay in Golden State instead of going to Charlotte?
The Hornets are one of the most promising and exciting squads in the league; coaching them could be a very special position.
However, there are rumors that the team’s front office wants to be very hands-on with the team.
They want to make a lot of the calls, which would have meant Atkinson’s hands would have been tied.
That’s obviously not an ideal situation for a head coach and plenty of a reason to turn down the job.
It’ll be interesting to see which direction the Hornets go now.
Will they find a coach that plays well with both the athletes on the floor and the front office paying them?
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