Two of the hotter names on the open market in the NBA to be head coaches elsewhere includes Kenny Atkinson and former Chicago Bulls HC Tom Thibodeau.
The Brooklyn Nets recently made the move to part ways with former head coach Kenny Atkinson in the midst of a rather disappointing and injury filled season with their two recently signed superstars. The Nets didn’t get to see point guard Kyrie Irving play all that much this season, and forward Kevin Durant was sidelined for the entirety of the 2019-20 campaign. As a result, the Nets could be looking to hire a head coach. And a name that was formerly associated with the Chicago Bulls in that same position could be on their shortlist this summer.
The move to part ways with Atkinson had to be a bit more on fit than it was on merit. Atkinson did a good job with the Nets over the course of the last two seasons. Last season, Atkinson led the Nets as one of the surprise teams in the Eastern Conference as they made the playoffs coming out of nowhere. He also helped to facilitate the leap to stardom from the former Ohio State Buckeye D’Angelo Russell.
Even though since then D-Lo has spent time with two different teams and is now starring for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
However, the Nets are going to have one of the more high-profile coaching searches of the 2020 offseason. The combination of KD and Kyrie elevates the Nets to a true title contender status in the NBA. With that, almost any free agent head coaching candidate, and those at the college ranks, are likely to at least be seeking out what the Nets have to offer.
Odd on the next Brooklyn Nets head coach at the start of next season per @betonline_ag:
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) March 10, 2020
Ty Lue- 5/4
Mark Jackson- 2/1
Jeff Van Gundy- 5/1
Jacque Vaughn- 6/1
Tom Thibodeau- 7/1
Jason Kidd- 9/1
Adam Harrington- 10/1
Will Kenny Atkinson coach NYK next season?:
Yes- 1/1
No- 5/7
Among the list of potential head coaches that the Nets could look into is the former Bull Tom Thibodeau, former Cleveland Cavalier Tyronn Lue, and the Los Angeles Lakers assistant Jason Kidd. All three of those names keep circulating around social media discussion, and are some of the more often discussed NBA head coaching candidates that don’t hold the same role at the moment.
Even some odds lists around social media and the internet are mentioning Thibodeau as a potential candidate to replace Atkinson in Brooklyn.
What’s even more interesting about this looming coaching search for the Nets is the fact that fan discussion around the Bulls camp and the NBA in general has Atkinson out as a head coach candidate in Chicago. If the Bulls were to replace current head coach Jim Boylen, not only would a good portion of the fan base support the move, but it would open up a new world of possibilities as to where this rebuild could go.
Moreover, Thibodeau found a good amount of success during his coaching tenure with as an assistant with the Boston Celtics and as the head man in Chicago. His record as the Bulls head coach sits at 255-139. He saw a lot of standout players roll through the Windy City during his tenure as head coach here, including center Joakim Noah, point guard Derrick Rose, and small forward Jimmy Butler.
What also helps forward the discussion that the Nets could go after Thibodeau this time around is the fact that they reportedly (SLAM) were in contact with him about four years ago. If the Nets went after Thibodeau to fill a previous coaching vacancy, they might do the same again.
Some of the other high-profile coaching jobs that are currently open around the NBA are with bad teams. The New York Knicks and Cavaliers are also some of the more highly publicized coaching searches that could ongoing heading into the summer.