If Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson isn’t capable of making adjustments during the game, then ESPN Cleveland radio host Tony Rizzo would consider making an adjustment at head coach.
James Harden and Donovan Mitchell have taken some of the blame for blowing a 22-point fourth-quarter lead in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks. But no one is being criticized more than Atkinson, who cited being a “little unlucky” and defended keeping his timeouts amid one of the worst collapses in NBA playoff history. And while Atkinson might be trying to claim the Cavaliers were just unlucky against the Knicks, ESPN Cleveland radio host Tony Rizzo is holding him accountable.
“What was Kenny Atkinson doing last night? What is that? I don’t know if I’d let him coach tomorrow night! What was that? Dude, Kenny, you messed up. You messed up,” Rizzo ranted on the YouTube-exclusive hour of his Wednesday morning show. “You gotta own it. You can’t come out and tell me that you didn’t adjust right, the guy torches your 38-year-old guard (Harden). What are you holding the timeouts for?!”
“That was dumb. You coached a sh*t game last night, and I could argue you cost your team a W,” Rizzo ranted of Atkinson. “That guy cost us a game last night. They just fired Jason Kidd in Dallas, get his ass over here cause he wouldn’t have done that. Mike Brown looked better than you!”
This is probably just an irrational thought from an understandably frustrated Cavaliers fan. Or maybe this is innovative thinking by Rizzo. You can take players in and out of the lineup; why not try to do the same with your head coach if they’re going through some sort of slump?
But as frustrating as this historic loss was to watch as a Cleveland fan, hopefully, Rizzo can regain his composure. Because Rizzo just returned to his ESPN Cleveland radio show following a two-week absence after suffering a “major heart attack.”
“I love this job, I had a near-death experience a couple weeks ago, and now I don’t even want to be here right now,” Rizzo said before pleading to have ESPN turned off the in-studio TVs. “Shut this sh*t off. Shut this f*cking ESPN sh*t off right now! I don’t want to watch any of this sh*t.”
Unfortunately for Rizzo, the Cavaliers did little to aid in his recovery process Tuesday night. And if Atkinson is going to continue making it worse, then Rizzo and the Cavaliers might be better off with a different coach.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com