Things were already in motion.
An agreement was in place and Kenny Atkinson had an unsigned contract in hand. Calls were being made so the rest of the coaching staff could be formed. Finally, after eight long weeks, the Charlotte Hornets appeared on track to get their feet together just in time for the true start of the NBA’s offseason in a few days.
Instead, barring them essentially making a dramatic last-second fullcourt heave, the Hornets will not have a head coach in place when the NBA draft tips off in New York on Thursday. They are in a spot no one saw coming after Atkinson’s abrupt about-face Saturday.
Exactly eight days after agreeing to a deal in principle and two days following Golden State’s series-clinching victory over Boston in the NBA Finals, the Warriors assistant decided he no longer wanted to take the Hornets’ head coaching post.
“Strange situation,” is how one league source described it.
And that, perhaps, is putting it mildly.
“Shocked” is how another league source termed their reaction to the news that delivered a gut punch to the Hornets when they weren’t looking. Those descriptions summed up the reaction trickling in around the league, leaving many wondering if Atkinson spurning the Hornets was actually really happening. This kind of move in the NBA is unprecedented.
In its wake, Atkinson turning down the job affects a lot of people. The Hornets had no clue Atkinson was getting cold feet, even going as far as preparing for the possibility of holding his introductory press conference Wednesday. Atkinson’s move forces them to scramble, figuring out where to go next on the dawn of one of the franchise’s most important offseasons in years.
What can they do?
The obvious choice is Mike D’Antoni, the runner-up of the Hornets’ coaching search. D’Antoni was the other finalist for the job, going as far as meeting with owner Michael Jordan in the last round of interviews before the Atkinson got selected. D’Antoni would bring instant credibility and give the Hornets a big-name coach at the end of their bench, further fueling a curiosity about how LaMelo Ball would flourish under him — chatter that’s gained steam since D’Antoni’s initial candidacy for the job became known.
Plus, D’Antoni has connections to Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak dating to their time together in Los Angeles with the Lakers, providing Kupchak with a familiarity factor that’s needed given the current point of the NBA calendar.
Free agency begins at 6 p.m. June 30, which is exactly a week after the draft, and it wouldn’t be the most ideal of circumstances to not have someone in place by then. That puts D’Antoni, 71, as the likely leader at the moment. And from all indications, he wouldn’t feel slighted if the Hornets tabbed him despite not doing so over Atkinson at first.
Why should he? It’s one of 30 unique, albeit extremely, stressful jobs.
Quin Snyder knows all about that and inquiring minds are wondering if he could be a wildcard target now that he’s available. When the Hornets first started their search two months ago after dismissing former coach James Borrego, Snyder had not resigned from Utah yet. But after being unable to come together with Utah ownership on how to move the Jazz forward following another disappointing early-round exit from the playoffs, the two sides decided to part ways.
Well-regarded in coaching circles, Snyder could be another solid option for the Hornets. It’s unclear if he would be open to coming to Charlotte and may prefer to sit out a year and weigh his options next offseason when more jobs are likely to be open. But it’s a safe bet the Hornets are going to at least broach the idea and gauge any potential of Snyder.
Whatever they decide, theyhave to act quickly — yet do it within reason. They still have the power to turn a nightmare into a beautiful fairytale, allowing them to one day potentially have a hearty chuckle when they think back to this coaching search. That’s the way they have to think about it all.
The last thing the Hornets need is for these circumstances to set them back and turn the organization upside down days after believing they secured the services of Atkinson to be the 12th head coach in franchise history.
