Kenny Atkinson reportedly pushed for the parting of ways between he and the Brooklyn Nets just as much, if not more than Brooklyn, according to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports.
Nets players felt as though Atkinson lost a section of the locker room, according to Ian Begley and Corey Hersch of SNY:
In a year that was nothing more than groundwork for the future, the meshing of Kenny Atkinson’s style with Durant and Irving was on trial. Even though Irving only played 20 games and is out for the season following shoulder surgery and Durant is still recovering from his Achilles injury, everyone had to deal with each other and honestly evaluate if this would be a marriage that would stand into next season.
“Kenny pushed for the parting just as much, if not more than Brooklyn,” a league source told Yahoo Sports.
Jacque Vaughn will assume duties as interim head coach of the Nets for the remainder of the season. Brooklyn is in seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings.
Atkinson had a 118-190 record over three-plus seasons with the Nets. Kyrie Irving played in only 20 games this season because of his shoulder injury which required surgery, while Kevin Durant hasn’t played all season due to his Achilles tear.
Even if Durant and Irving wanted Atkinson gone, Nets GM Sean Marks isn’t going to admit that to the media.
The Nets’ coaching vacancy will be a job a lot of coaches want since Brooklyn will be title contenders next season once Durant and Irving suit up together.
The Nets are back in action on Sunday when they host the Chicago Bulls. We'll see how the guys react to playing for Vaughn for the first time.
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