CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cavs have a new coach.
Sources tell cleveland.com that former NBA forward DeMarre Carroll is set to join Kenny Atkinson's staff. Carroll, who played 11 years in the NBA, served as an assistant coach the past two seasons, first with Milwaukee and then with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he coached alongside assistant Jordan Ott, who Atkinson recruited earlier this week as one of his top assistants.
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Like Ott, Carroll has deep ties to Atkinson.
Carroll played two years under Atkinson in Brooklyn as a part-time starter and veteran mentor to Cavs guards Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen. The 37-year-old Carroll also played two years with Atlanta midway through his career when Atkinson was one of the top assistants on Mike Budenholzer's staff.
Carroll played 11 seasons in the NBA with eight different teams, averaging 8.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.
Both Carroll and Ott will join Cleveland's summer league staff, and Atkinson is expected to add several more coaching staff members ahead of summer league, which begins July 12 in Las Vegas.
Atkinson, who coached Brooklyn from 2016-2020 and compiled a 118-170 record, was hired in late June on a five-year contract to replace J.B. Bickerstaff. During his formal introduction, he spoke about the multiple assistants who will be joining him in Cleveland and how they align with his vision for the franchise.
“Me and my staff are going to figure out what's best,” Atkinson said. “We have a lot of good things going on. We have a great basketball identity, a great defensive identity. So we've got to figure out where we can win. What's the margin? Where can we improve? It starts with all of our players getting a little bit better, each individual getting a little bit better. That's the path to the next step. I think we have a strong staff that will make the tactical adjustments that are necessary to move this thing forward.”
Otto and Carol are just the beginning.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski first reported Carroll would be joining the Cavs.
