Dub Hub: Cavs receive permission to interview Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson

Rounding up all Warriors and NBA related news for Thursday, May 30th.

In today’s Dub Hub:

• Cavs receive permission to interview Warriors’ assistant coach Kenny Atkinson, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
• Warriors scheduled to work out six more NBA Draft prospects on Thursday, according to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dalton Johnson.
• ESPN reports that Clippers and head coach Ty Lue agree on a new five-year extension.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have taken the next step in their search for a new head coach following the firing of J.B. Bickerstaff last week. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Cavaliers have officially secured permission to interview Golden State Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson.

This follows a report from The Athletic’s Jason Lloyd last Sunday, where he said that Atkinson is viewed as the “leader” for the Cleveland job.

Atkinson is highly regarded in coaching circles, known for his player development skills and previous head coaching experience with the Brooklyn Nets. During his tenure with the Nets from 2016 to 2020, he transformed the team into a competitive playoff contender, which earned him widespread respect across the league. His ability to develop young talent could be particularly appealing to the Cavaliers, who have a promising young core which includes some of Atkinson’s former Nets players in Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert.

For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Thursday, May 30th:

Warriors News:

Sources: Cavs to interview Kenny Atkinson, James Borrego | ESPN

The Cleveland Cavaliers are beginning the interview process for the franchise’s head-coaching opening, securing permission to interview two top candidates on the team’s list: Golden State assistant Kenny Atkinson and New Orleans assistant James Borrego, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.

The Cavaliers are planning to secure permission to speak to more sitting assistant coaches, but Atkinson and Borrego are both top assistant coaches with head-coaching backgrounds that appeal to the Cavaliers in their process to replace J.B. Bickerstaff, sources told ESPN.

Warriors’ Top Needs in 2024 NBA Offseason | Bleacher Report

Stephen Curry Co-Star

Golden State’s wish list isn’t extensive in quantity, but the quality of these needs is enormous.

The Dubs have depth for days and role players for just about every archetype. What they don’t have, though, is a true co-star for Curry, a fellow member of the league’s elite who qualifies as a full-fledged difference-maker.

Or, given the caliber of names being tossed around, maybe we should go ahead and capitalize that as Difference-Maker. Because, as Sam Amick, Anthony Slater and Jovan Buha reported for The Athletic, the Warriors “will explore” any available paths to “LeBron [James], Giannis Antetokounmpo (their dream scenario), impending free agent Paul George or a reunion with Kevin Durant.”

The Warriors were decent this season, but never dominant. Accessing that tier of the Association again probably only happens if Golden State can give Curry a legitimate co-star.

Draymond, Stephen A exchange apologies after public feud | NBC Sports Bay Area

During TNT’s “Inside the NBA” pregame show ahead of Game 4 of the Western Conference finals , guest analyst Green apologized on air for his previous comments about how he lost respect for Smith.

“[Shaquille O’Neal], I was on your podcast… and you just mentioned Stephen A,” Green said “And I said something that didn’t come out the way I said it, so I want to apologize to him. I said that publicly … I was wrong for that.”

Warriors scheduled to work out 6 more NBA Draft prospects on Thursday

Potential candidate for the Warriors’ 52nd overall pick Coleman Hawkins withdraws from the NBA Draft

NBA News:

Ty Lue signs new long-term contract with Clippers | ESPN

“T Lue is everything we want in a head coach,” Frank said in a statement. “He’s a brilliant tactician and a natural leader with an extraordinary ability to connect with those around him, both players and staff. Four years ago, we felt privileged to hire T Lue, and we feel just as fortunate today. There’s no one we’d rather coach our team. T Lue is a pillar of the organization and will be for a very long time.”

The Clippers are determined to keep Paul George and James Harden in free agency, and the organization will move into the new, state-of-the-art Intuit Dome for the start of next season.

Wizards hire Brian Keefe as coach: Why it makes sense for Washington | The Athletic

Comparing the first 43 games under Unseld to the 39 games under Keefe is like comparing apples to oranges, with Keefe arguably facing more obstacles.

Keefe made his boldest move immediately after the All-Star break. He moved Poole out of the starting lineup to put the ball in Poole’s hands more often and open a starting spot for rookie Bilal Coulibaly. But those reasons were only a part of Keefe’s rationale.

Keefe also was holding Poole accountable for his subpar defense and shot selection. Poole responded by playing the best basketball of his Washington tenure. In his final 26 games, Poole averaged 20.9 points and 5.8 assists per game and made 36 percent of his 3-point tries.

Bronny James elects to stay in the NBA Draft

In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:

Warriors not among the teams scheduled to work out Bronny James, per report

On Tuesday, Warriors reporter Jason Dumas of KRON 4 News noted that the Warriors are reportedly not among the teams scheduled to work out James prior to the draft. However, Golden State is set to evaluate several other second-round prospects on Wednesday, as they continue to search for potential gems to bolster next year’s roster.

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