PHILADELPHIA — When the Cleveland Cavaliers opened their season Thursday against the Philadelphia 76ers, it didn’t just mean excitement for the start of something new for Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson. It was also a reminder of the disappointment the coach felt from what didn’t come to pass this summer.
LeBron James was in a Sixers uniform playing against Atkinson’s team, rather than beginning a third stint with the franchise that drafted James.
“We were anticipating and excited [to land James] and then you have that [news],” Atkinson said pregame when asked about James going to Philadelphia. “Having gone through free agency a lot, when you’re expecting something to happen and it doesn’t happen, that first day or two, you’re just like, you’re depressed, quite honestly. That’s the emotions of it.”
Kaynak: 6abc Philadelphia