New York Knicks: Outside the Box Options for Head Coach

2. Kenny Atkinson

From 2008 to 2012, Kenny Atkinson served as an assistant coach for the New York Knicks. Since 2012, he’s worked with the Atlanta Hawks in the same capacity, surviving a change at head coach to remain on the staff.

Four-time All-Star and Hawks franchise player Al Horford weighed in on what makes Atkinson so great, per Kevin Arnowitz of ESPN.

"“He believes you can improve as a player, even at the highest level, and that there’s always something you can add to your game,” Hawks big man Al Horford says. “He’s been here for three years with me, and he’s challenged me. For instance, before he got here, I was pretty much a shooter on the pick-and-pop. I was never really driving. Kenny has challenged me to put the ball on the floor. It’s something we’ve worked on together, and now it’s something I feel comfortable doing.”"

Some assistant coaches are simply better as assistants, but Atkinson’s desire to challenge anyone and everyone to improve suggests he’d thrive with Kristaps Porzingis and the Knicks.

A familiarity with the New York media monster facilitates his case. The fact that he spent half a season with Carmelo Anthony helps, as well, as the franchise player will likely be consulted whenever a new head coach is hired.

The question, of course, is whether or not Atkinson and Phil Jackson would prove compatible.

Atkinson is all about pushing his players to their limits and helping them expand their game to improve as players. One of Jackson’s greatest strengths as a coach was exactly that, and Anthony’s development as a defender and facilitator display how that’s trickled down in New York.

If the Knicks were to hire Atkinson as the next head coach, young players such as Langston Galloway, Jerian Grant, and Porzingis would benefit immensely.

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