Knicks Rumors: Kenny Atkinson Has 'Legitimate Internal Support' to Be Next HC

Kenny Atkinson might not even have to leave New York City to find his next NBA gig.  

The former head coach of the Brooklyn Nets reportedly is a candidate for the same position with the New York Knicks, earning "legitimate" support within the organization, according to SNY's Ian Begley.

Atkinson stepped down from his position in Brooklyn on March 7, 2020, with Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill reporting the coach had clashed with star players Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. 

Former Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau is presumed by many as the frontrunner for the Knicks job.

Marc Berman of the New York Post reported on June 5 that new Knicks president Leon Rose planned to interview Atkinson, Mike Woodson and the team's interim head coach, Mike Miller, but the conversations were more out of "courtesy" than anything else. 

Atkinson earned praise around the league for building a lowly Nets roster in 2016 into a playoff contender two years later. Along the way, Atkinson's embrace of analytics and his connection to his players helped speed up the development of players like guard Spencer Dinwiddie, Joe Harris and Caris LeVert.

It also made Brooklyn a tempting destination for two of the NBA's biggest free agents last summer in Irving and Durant. 

Yet the inability of Atkinson to connect with the high-profile duo led to his resignation. 

That could be a concern for the Knicks, who have repeatedly struck out in free agency when it comes to signing elite talent. 

While Thibodeau's track record as a head coach isn't without blemishes, the coach has led high-profile teams featuring Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler and Joakim Noah in Chicago while helping the Timberwolves rebuild early on in Karl-Anthony Towns' career. The 62-year-old hasn't coached since the T-Wolves fired him in January 2019.

Atkinson will remain a commodity on the open market this offseason—which, for some NBA teams, has already begun—even if he eventually has to leave New York to find his next home.