Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson is one of the best in the business.
The NBA has announced that Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson is the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for games played in February.
The Cavaliers went 8-3 in February.
This is the third time Atkinson has won this award with the Cavaliers, who are in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings. Atkinson was hired by Cleveland in 2024.
Once again, the Cavaliers look like a championship contender with Atkinson leading the way. The Wine and Gold are third in the NBA in points per game, 14th in points per game allowed, sixth in offensive rating, 11th in defensive rating and ninth in net rating.
Cleveland had the top record in the East last season. Atkinson, who won the 2024-25 Coach of the Year Award, coached the Cavaliers to a first-round sweep of the Miami Heat. It appeared that the Cavaliers were going to go on a deep playoff run.
However, the Indiana Pacers beat the Cavaliers in the second round in five games. Cleveland hasn't advanced past the second round of the playoffs since 2018.
The Cavaliers entered this season under immense pressure to at least reach the NBA Finals since they had the most expensive roster. GM Koby Altman traded De'Andre Hunter to the Sacramento Kings for Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis and sent Darius Garland to the Los Angeles Clippers for future Hall of Famer James Harden.
Atkinson now has a lethal starting lineup of Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Jaylon Tyson, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
It will be fascinating to see how far the Cavaliers go in the 2026 playoffs. Atkinson won the 2022 championship with the Warriors as an assistant coach, so he knows what it takes to reach the promised land.
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