Award Watch: Coach of the Year
With just a little over six weeks and about 23 games left to go, there is not much time left for coaches to change the impression of the Coach of the Year voters as to how successful their season has been.
The Spurs and Celtics started out strong and have maintained a high pace all season. The Bulls and HEAT came together after a rough start to challenge for first place in the East. The Hornets have overachieved in an up-and-down season and the Sixers have gone from embarrassing to dangerous in a long, slow, steady progression.
It will be difficult for anyone to challenge the coaches ranked in our top three, but the race is not over yet and anything could happen.
#1 Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs, 49-10, Pace-to-win 68, last year: 50-32
(Last week #1, 46-10)
Coach Popovich will be facing his first injury-related challenge of the current season. Three-time All-Star point guard Tony Parker will be out of action for two-to-four weeks with a strained calf muscle. Parker will be missed, but this deep veteran team should be able to keep racking up the wins in his absence.
The big question remains, can Popovich guide his team to a 70-win season?
#2 Doc Rivers, Boston Celtics 42-15, Pace-to-win 60, last year: 50-32
(Last week #2, 40-14)
Boston traded their star defensive center Kendrick Perkins at the trade deadline for the Thunder’s Nenad Krstic and the impact on the team’s morale was immediately noticeable. Perkins had spent his entire eight-year NBA career in Boston and was a defensive anchor in the Celtics’ championship drives.
However, Perkins had missed nearly all of this season with a knee injury and on February 22 he injured his other knee in just his 12th game back. The Thunder does not expect to have his services until March 18.
Coach Rivers has done a great job at keeping the Celtics in first place through a myriad of injuries this season and as unpopular as the trade of Perkins may be, the team is undoubtedly in better shape through the rest of the regular season because of it.
It is worth noting the Thunder wasted no time in negotiating a contract extension with Perkins.
#3 Tom Thibodeau, Chicago Bulls, 41-17, Pace-to-win 58, last year: 41-41, (Vinny Del Negro)
(Last week: #3, 38-16)
The Bulls have won three games in a row and sit just two games out of first place in the East. The only blemish in their past eight games was a loss to Toronto sandwiched in between wins over the Spurs and HEAT.
The loss to Toronto illustrates all that has kept the Bulls from overtaking the Celtics this season. In 2011, the Bulls have only lost to the Nets, Sixers, Bobcats twice, Warriors, and Trail Blazers.
Coach Thibodeau has done a great job in pulling together the rebuilt Bulls into a winner around All-Star point guard Derrick Rose. If he can clean up those loses against teams the Bulls are supposed to beat, Coach Thibodeau might be able to challenge Popovich for COY, assuming the Spurs slip a little.
#4 Doug Collins, Philadelphia 76ers, 30-29, Pace-to-win 42, last year: 27-55 (Eddie Jordan)
(Last week: #4, 27-29)
Coach Doug Collins has the brought surprising Sixers to a plus-.500 record and looking like an actual threat in this year’s playoffs. As no one thought the collection of talent assembled by the Sixers was good for much of anything except facilitating trades, this is a significant accomplishment.
It will not be easy for Collins to gain much notoriety with Popovich’s quest for 70 wins and Thibodeau’s shot at first place in the East on everyone’s radar, but what he has done with a much maligned Sixers roster is truly remarkable.
#5 Lionel Hollins, Memphis Grizzlies, 33-28, Pace-to-win 44, last year: 40-42
(Last week: #5, 31-26)
So far in 2011, the Grizzlies are 19-10 with wins over Lakers, Magic, Mavericks, and Thunder (twice), and they are about to tested further as their next six games are against the Spurs, Hornets, Mavericks, Thunder, Knicks, and HEAT.
The Grizzlies are alone in the eighth and final playoff spot in the West despite preseason expectations of performing worse than last season’s lottery-bound team. There should be no doubt Coach Hollins has exceeded expectations to this point.
A very long shot for COY, Coach Hollins has the Grizzlies performing well, and over the next two weeks we’ll know if the Grizzlies are for real or not.
Honorable Mentions
Monty Williams, New Orleans Hornets, 35-26, Pace-to-win 47, last year: 37-45, (Bryon Scott/ Jeff Bower)
(Last week: Honorable Mention, 33-25)
Coach Williams has the Hornets in a playoff spot and on track for better season than anyone anticipated. It is how he has done it that raise doubts about his chances at COY.
The Hornets have winning streaks of eight and ten games followed inconsistent play. In a relatively soft five-game stretch, they only managed to beat the Wolves and Clippers, losing three games to teams below them in the West.
The Hornets are heading out on what could be a tough five-game road trip. Coach Williams will be challenged to get his Hornets back on track over the next eight days.
{AUTHOR_BOX}Rick Carlisle, Dallas Mavericks, 43-16, Pace-to-win 59, last year: 55-27
(Last week: Honorable Mention, 40-16 )
The Mavericks are now on a 16-1 run with only a one-point road loss to Denver breaking the streak.
Coach Carlisle has done a great job with the Mavericks this season by getting his team to buy into defense and getting the most out of the players he has. If All-Star Dirk Nowitzki had not been lost to injury for 18 days, the Mavericks would be challenging for first-place in the West instead of sitting six-games back of the Spurs.
The Mavericks are coming off a 55-win season and were expected to finish in second or third in the West again this season so Coach Carlisle is not going to gain as much recognition for COY as he probably deserves.
Erik Spoelstra, Miami HEAT, 43-17, Pace-to-win 59, last year: 47-35
(Last week: Honorable Mention, 41-15)
The cracks in the HEAT continue to show up when they play the better teams in the NBA. Last week the HEAT lost to the Bulls and the Knicks and this week they face the Magic, Spurs, and Bulls. Coach Spoelstra has to hope that the tougher schedule over the next 18 days brings out the best in his team of All-Stars.
Coach Spoelstra does have his team winning at a high pace and the HEAT, for the most part, have not disappointed this season. The HEAT’s coach has done a good job at getting three go-to guys to generate wins during the regular season.
Some Coaches to Watch
There are some coaches who continue to get our attention and are worth watching for COY consideration if things improve.
Mike D’Antoni, New York Knicks, 30-27, Pace-to-win 43, (last week: 28-26), last year: 29-53
George Karl, Denver Nuggets, 34-26, Pace-to-win 46, (last week: 32-25), last year: 53-29
Nate McMillan, Portland Trail Blazers, 33-26, Pace-to-win 46, (last week: 32-24), last year: 50-32
Notes:
The NBA Coach of the Year (COY) is selected at the end of the regular season by a media panel whose members each cast votes for their first, second and third place choices.
HOOPSWORLD is ranking the COY race based on how the coach’s team is performing against last year’s record, this year’s preseason expectations, and on how they are handling adversity during the season. A strong winning record is almost mandatory, but merely meeting already high expectations will not be enough. There is only a slight chance of a lottery bound coach winning this award.
Did we miss someone? Let us know in the comments section below or contact us during HOOPSWORLD’s daily NBA chats.
You can send me comments or questions about COY, the Toronto Raptors, or anything else in the NBA to my weekly chat and check back on Thursday at noon ET for a response.
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