Back in December, Brooklyn Nets coach Kenny Atkinson shared some pretty prescient thoughts for a guy who had recently landed Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving on his roster. “I know my time is ticking,” he said after becoming the longest-tenured major professional league coach in the New York metro area. “It puts me on edge. Tough business, tough town, expectations have been raised. So I know my time will eventually come. Just do the best I can until that happens.”



That time came a lot sooner than many expected, with the Nets and Atkinson parting ways over the weekend. It came after a blowout win on Saturday and with 20 games left in Brooklyn’s season. It came with a repeat playoff appearance on the horizon, despite only 20 games from Irving before season-ending shoulder surgery and none from Durant. Jacque Vaughn was named the coach for the remainder of the season.



“Kenny will be back coaching soon,” one source with...