Kenny Atkinson is widely considered as one of the best assistant coaches in the NBA, helping the Atlanta Hawks become a solid contender in the Eastern Conference over the last two seasons.

Now, it's finally time for him to have his own team.

The Associated Press reported yesterday that Atkinson has been named as the new head coach of the Brooklyn Nets.

A number of bigger names were mentioned in candidates, such as Tom Thibodeau, Luke Walton, and Kentucky's John Calipari, who probably wanted more money than the Nets were willing to dish out.

Atkinson will continue to coach with the Hawks until their season comes to an end.

“While I am eager to begin working with the Nets, I remain committed to my coaching responsibilities with the Hawks for the remainder of the postseason,” Atkinson said.

Kenny Atkinson
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He hopes to carry over the winning pedigree he has helped built in Atlanta to Brooklyn, as does Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov.

“Aside from his tremendous skills and experience, he has the mindset we need to build a winning team day by day, step by step,”  said Prokhorov. “Together, we can do great things.”

Mid-season, Brooklyn fired Lionel Hollins after a 10-27 start. They went on to finish with an abysmal 21-61 record. Atkinson will be Brooklyn's sixth head coach in just five seasons.

Atkinson learned under Mike D'Antoni and current Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer, who is happy for his longtime friend and colleague, even though it means saying goodbye.

“I'm very happy for Kenny and excited that he's earned the opportunity to be a head coach,” Budenholzer said. “His competitiveness, knowledge and feel for the game, and passion for player development are all at a high level and will serve him well as a head coach.”