Brooklyn Nets superstar point guard Kyrie Irving reportedly soured on head coach Kenny Atkinson early and wants Tyronn Lue to be Brooklyn's next coach, according to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports.
The Nets and Atkinson parted ways on Saturday. Lue is currently an assistant coach to Doc Rivers on the Los Angeles Clippers.
Lue coached Irving on the Cleveland Cavaliers. The two won the 2016 championship over the Golden State Warriors in seven games, as the Cavs became the first team in NBA history to erase a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals:
Kyrie Irving soured on Kenny Atkinson early, league sources told Yahoo Sports, and currently prefers Clippers assistant Tyronn Lue to be the team’s next head coach. Lue was the head coach in Cleveland when Irving hit the winning shot in the 2016 NBA Finals and was in talks to take the Lakers job before discussions broke down.
Irving only played in 20 games this season because of his shoulder injury, but it looks like that was enough for him to know Atkinson wasn't the guy who was going to lead the Nets to the promised land, right or wrong.
The Nets are in seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings. There are 19 games left in the regular season and Brooklyn is fighting for a playoff spot.
These circumstances are why people were shocked at the timing of the Atkinson move.
With the Cavs, Lue went 211-128 during the regular season and 41-20 in the playoffs. We'll see if Irving gets his wish and reunites with Lue in Brooklyn.
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