Kenny Atkinson On Hot Seat With Cavaliers

Merlin sees Cleveland's coaching seat warming. ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported the Cavs' head man Kenny Atkinson "is starting to get a little warm," though Windhorst added the club prefers to "work through this, get healthy, and find ways to improve" and that "I don't think radical change or roster change is coming." Cleveland sits 15 14 after losing eight of 11, with poor three point shooting and key absences. Sam Merrill is set to return and Evan Mobley and Max Strus should follow, so the lineup could soon look very different. Merlin notes the other truth. The Cavs carry the league's largest payroll at about 231.1 million and sit well into the luxury tax, leaving little trade flexibility before the February deadline. That makes a midseason coaching move the simplest lever, yet firing less than a year after a 64 win season would smell of panic. Patience is the club's current spell, but results will decide the fate.