In a casual, background conversation with myself and several reporters during the NBA Finals — days before it was announced he would be the new head coach in Charlotte — Kenny Atkinson was noticeably relaxed about the prospect of landing the Hornets job.
He said he learned from working with the Nets and Lakers that what mattered most to him was working with people he liked in a positive environment.
Atkinson said he had that, living in California and working on Steve Kerr’s staff with the Warriors, and if that was his fall back it was all good.
It turns out it was more than a fallback. After earning a ring with the Warriors, Atkinson has changed his position and is not taking the Hornets job, choosing to stay in the Bay Area, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.