Kenny ATKINSON

With the NBA season getting ready to tip off, new Nets coach Kenny Atkinson took a timeout for some Q& A with Post columnist Steve Serby. Q: In what ways are you a typical New Yorker? A: I think I’ve lost my Long Island accent. ... I hope I get it back (smile). Q: Why? A: I think it identifies you. I think we’re different ’ cause of that. I know when I went down to Richmond, [Va.], I was like a foreigner down there. A Yankee. People complain about the traffic and the weather. ... I like the tension of New York. And you notice it. You notice more couples arguing. ... It’s just a tension, there’s a little bit of conflict. I love that energy. I don’t think you feel that in other places. Personally I thrive in that, I like it. Q: The tension? A: Yeah. And a good tension. Just because life’s not perfect. And I tell our team all the time like conflict is not necessarily bad all the time. Like a little conflict, then you work through it, and then you come together. I think you feel that in New York. I love the sports culture. I love arts culture. ... I love the delis. I love the beach. My dad was a lifeguard at Jones Beach. We’d build a baseball field with the driftwood, we’d make a fence. Q: On the beach? A: On the beach. And we’d play tackle football on the beach, and the sideline was the ocean. You’d pitch and there’s no out of bounds. So the deeper you could run in the ocean, you’d go around end, but the water was the end, and you have your brothers pursuing you. Q: In the water? A: Yeah. So you keep going out, and they’d nail you (smile). Q: Having grown up in New York helps you? A: It helps me with the pressure, I think it helps with the comfort level, I think it helps with the mentality. I think I understand the mentality of the fan, to a certain extent of the press. I think that’s gonna help me coach my team. I think it’s an advantage. Q: How do you motivate? A: My energy, my enthusiasm. I think I motivate by being honest. That just goes with holding guys accountable, then telling them the truth. I think you motivate by caring. Like you care so much that they care. Q: Describe your ideal basketball player. A: Character. Competitive. Skilled. Basketball IQ. Great habits. Guys that have habits are consistent. That’s like my perfect basketball player, having all those characteristics. Q: What won’t you tolerate? A: Not competing. That’s a nonstarter. That’s where you draw the line. Q: What kind of a team do you want this season? A: Competitive. Unselfish. Fun to watch. If you go to Brooklyn, you’re gonna be entertained with the way we’re playing. You’re also gonna come out saying, “Man, that’s a competitive group of guys. That’s a program that’s building, you can feel it.” Q: What would you tell Nets fans about how long it will take to build a winner? A: I don’t think we can out a timetable on it. I would just say, “Throw yourself into the build-- inging aspect of the program and watch us grow.” Q: You were an assistant coach for the Knicks from 2008-12. What was your favorite Linsanity moment with the Knicks? A: Probably the game-winner [Jeremy Lin] hit in Toronto. There were tons of Asian fans there [on Asian Heritage Night], it was just pandemonium, even though we were on the road. That was when you knew like, “Wow, this is big!” Q: How is he different now as a player? A: Better defender. More mature. Better leader. Still stubborn (laugh). Q: Stubborn in what way? A: He has strong opinions on how the game should be played and how it should be coached. I like that. I like that dialogue. Q: Was there friction with Carmelo Anthony and Jeremy? A: I never saw that. It was two different styles of play. They were used to playing differently. It was a mix of styles, and I never saw any personal conflict, I never saw ’em yell at each other, I never saw ’em not talk at the dinner table or at a shootaround. Two different styles of play and they’re both effective. They didn’t have enough time to get on the same page. Q: What have you learned about Brook Lopez? A: What a fun person he is to be around. He’s a smart guy. I like busting his chops. And then from a basketball standpoint, he’s more skilled than I thought, and he’s more athletic than I thought. He moves better than I thought. Q: Did you have bunk beds at home in Northport, L.I.? A: We had three bedrooms, and my mom and dad slept in one, then we had five in one and three in the other, and they were tiny bedrooms. I slept on a floor on a mattress. I don’t know why, I think seven out of eight, it should have been my eighth brother that was the floor on a mattress. Q: What was the worst fight you guys had? A: Me acting like a jerk, competing in the backyard and come crying and probably saying some bad things to my brother, and they locked me in the attic — all

day. And that was the scariest attic, it was filled with ... just junk. And it didn’t open from the inside. I remember sitting on the stair just banging, and they would not let me out. My dad was at work, but my mom was out all day, whatever. Q: How old were you? A: I don’t know, 8 or 9. I remember just banging and crying like, “Let me out, let me out.” It was dark, and ... traumatizing (laugh). Q: You were on the 1988 Richmond team that upset Indiana in the NCAA Tournament en route to the Sweet 16. A: Because it was Bobby Knight and Indiana, defending national champions, it was huge for a lot of circumstances. Q: Did you need to upgrade your wardrobe for this job? A: Yes, I needed to, and I will say that’s one of the perks of getting this new job. ... My mom worked at a thrift shop, and I used to go and get suits there, so I’m not going to the thrift shop anymore (smile). Q: How many family members will you have at the home opener Friday? A: Everybody. We got a suite ... and it’s pretty cool. That’s what it’s all about. I’m glad they all want to come. I guess yeah, that’s normal, but they got busy lives, they got jobs. My uncle’s coming in from Chicago. My guesstimate is over 30, 35. Q: Message to Brooklyn Nets fans. A: I’d love to see them grow with us and build with us, like see that we’re building something, and that we’re growing. I want them along for the ride, and be with us through the hard times and then be with us as we grow and we build this thing.