It was a great offseason for Kenny Atkinson. Coming off the disappointment of an ECF sweep, he took some time, got everything together, and got some love in the neighborhood. In his first public appearances of the preseason, he was talking about how warmly he was greeted, being called “Coach” all over the city.

But less than two weeks into the new year, the same problems this team had in 2025-26, and during their 2024-25 collapse have been front and center. And a topic that has come up previously might need to resurface.

It’s time to ask the question. Is Kenny Atkinson on the hot seat?

Same Old Rotation Problems

The 64-18 Cavs took the league by storm in 2024-25. But by the time the postseason came around, they were a bit short-handed. Some of their top guys were limping around. With the season on the line, they had Ty Jerome at small forward. He had been scoring it well, but having him out there with Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland was waving the white flag on every defensive possession against the Pacers.

Last night’s game sort of exposed the same issue. And it’s struggling to figure out who to close games with. On a night where Mario Hezonja was playing very well on both ends and making hustle plays, he was glued to the bench in the final moments. Jarrett Allen, also doing well to try and mitigate Isaiah Hartenstein, was not on the floor. They went with a four-guard look instead.

Managing rotations in the NBA isn’t easy. Nobody says it is. But it’s on the coach to get them right. And Atkinson is still struggling with this.

Calling Out The Issues, But Not Fixing Them

Kenny Atkinson has an easygoing demeanor. That much has been clear by his body language in pressers. He can be as intense as any coach on the sideline during the action of course, but he gets up to the podium and always smiles as he discusses the issues (or good things).

The issue is that the adjustments that have to be made, and things posed as questions, need to be done by him. Against the Bucks, they finally made it a point to Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen the ball. But it took a few games. He says the right things, but like Marshawn Lynch always says, you got to be “‘Bout that action, Boss.”

It’s always “we should have” and not just “we didn’t”. When players are ignoring wide-open guys both in the paint and on the perimeter, that’s a problem. It’s a team game and that’s how it’s won. Not to mention the misuse of timeouts and holding on to them at the end of games.

Saying "we have to do a better job boxing out" and not correcting it in-game is not getting it done.

Is The Seat Actually Hot?

Cleveland went from 64-18 in year one to a .500 record around Christmas a season ago. They wound up with 50 wins again after a hot second-half. At 4-3 to open 2026-27, it’s shaping up very similarly. A few impressive wins, and some head-scratching moments during winnable games.

Blowing a 29-point lead. Sacrificing a 15-point lead. Missing 10 FT’s, not using the right closing group, and getting a pointless technical foul late in a close game all happened last night. 

Kenny Atkinson is not a bad coach. But there are some things that should have already been working smoothly by now. The seat might not be hot yet, but the seat-warmer is being turned on from the front seat. It may well get there.

If the team can’t fix some of these issues, a new voice may have to come in. Because players have to be held accountable. Sometimes even benched. Thatt doesn’t happen here.