With the Cleveland Cavaliers just two games over 500 through the first few months of the season, there is a mounting sense that pressure is mounting on head coach Kenny Atkinson
Vibes around the Cleveland Cavaliers are at a pretty critical inflection point at the moment.
Once considered the favorites to win the East, the wine and gold have stumbled to an inconsistent 15-13 start to the season and currently find themselves as a play-in team in the conference standings.
There's context to that, injuries, of course, being the biggest one. Jarrett Allen, Sam Merrill, Darius Garland and now Evan Mobley, have all missed extended periods of time due to various ailments during these first two months.
It's not the entire reason for the team's struggles, though, with effort being noticeably absent at times. That problem sparked a players-only meeting just last week, but in the three games since, there hasn't been much noticeable change.
Things appear on the brink of fracturing within the organization, which could expose head coach Kenny Atkinson to some crossfire. And while it may seem far-fetched that the reigning NBA Coach of the Year ends up on the chopping block, there is a mounting belief that he could potentially losing his job if Cleveland can't turn it around.
Cavs insider Joe Vardon of The Athletic validated that subject further on Thursday, during an interview with 92.3 The Fan's Ken Carman Show with Anthony Lima. Asked out of the gate whether or not Atkinson is on the hot seat, Vardon promptly said "yes." He added some important context, though.
"I think the short answer is yes, but you have to remember, the hiring was a little off in terms of how that process went," he said. "I can't speak to who gets to make these kinds of decisions, but we have to remember that the front office largely had presented James Borrego as choice No. 1, and [team owner] Dan [Gilbert] basically pushed the decision towards Kenny."
It's some important information to keep in mind regarding how quickly the Cavs may actually act in moving on from Atkinson. Still, Vardon went on to highlight that things are definitely amiss right now inside the team.
"But yeah, I think not everybody's on the same page right now, and losing has a lot to do with that. It hasn't been a good couple months ... considering how expensive the roster is, and what it looks like right now, yeah I think there are some tough questions."
The weeks and months ahead will be telling for Atkinson's future. Should the Cavaliers turn things around, especially with some players back from injury, everything could turn out just fine. If not, though, it's safe to assume moving on from Atkinson's job could be on the line.