Sources: Cavs keeping Kenny Atkinson as head coach

The "experts" on social media wanted Kenny Atkinson's head. However, the people that sign his checks had other ideas. The Cavaliers plan on bringing back Atkinson as coach, sources told ESPN Tuesday after Cleveland was swept by the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals. It was the Cavs' first appearance in the East finals since 2018 and the furthest the team has advanced without LeBron James on the roster since 1982. Unfortunately for Cleveland, it was no match for the surging Knicks, who have won 11 games in a row heading into the NBA Finals. After Game 4 at Rocket Arena, star players Donovan Mitchell and James Harden stood behind their coach. "It's just hilarious," Mitchell said. "We've done something that we haven't done since 2018. There's going to be criticism. We did it with Kenny. We didn't go out there and coach ourselves. "We love Kenny. It's the world we live in. We're in this together." Atkinson signed a five-year deal with the Cavs in 2024. He was named NBA Coach of the Year after his first season in Cleveland and has a 116-48 record in two seasons. Atkinson is 13-14 in the postseason (.481) in Cleveland, 8-10 in 2026. In six seasons as a head coach — he coached four years in Brooklyn — Atkinson is 234-238 overall (.496) and 14-18 in the postseason (.438). "(He's the) ultimate players coach," Harden said. "He gets it. He understands his team. Of course, somebody's going to have to take the criticism. They're going to put it on somebody, but I think for Kenny, he did an unbelievable job of getting me acclimated as fast as possible to understanding what I was supposed to be doing out there." The Cavs faced adversity during the regular season, starting with injuries to key personnel and making a franchise-altering trade at the deadline. They acquired Harden from the Los Angeles Clippers for Darius Garland. "I'm disappointed for the group," Atkinson said. "Ownership gifted us with a wonderful roster. We took a step. We have to keep climbing. We fell short of our goal. There's no bigger motivator. I'm going to lean on that. "I have confidence in myself, first of all, and in this group." After the 130-93 loss in Game 4, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert tweeted the team is "nowhere near where we need to be." Atkinson, 58, became the subject of much criticism on social media after his comment stating that the Cavs won two of the first three games of the East finals "analytically." Contact Bob Finnan at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.