According to a report by AJC beat writer Michael Cunningham, Knicks player development coach Kenny Atkinson is joining the Hawks coaching staff. Former Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin credited Atkinson with his development prior to his spectacular run last season.
There has been no confirmation from the Hawks as of yet and it is unclear what Atkinson's role will be with the team. Atkinson could be replacing one of Larry Drew's four holdover assistants in Lester Conner, Bob Bender, Tyrone Hill or Kenny Gattison. Nick Van Exel has served as the team's player development instructor for the past two seasons.
General Manager Danny Ferry previously indicated that he would like to see improvement from the Hawks in player development. On the surface it would seem that this hire would reflect that.
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