NBA Awards Watch: The wizardry of Mike Budenholzer

Coach of the Year

1. Mike Budenholzer, Atlanta Hawks – Wizardry is the best way to describe the job that Mike Budenholzer has done in Atlanta. In fairness, the currently suspended Danny Ferry deserves some credit for assembling a quality roster for the Hawks, but Budenholzer has put the pieces together beautifully (while acting as the GM) and the results are ridiculously good. Atlanta has won eight consecutive games and 22 of their last 24 contests, and that places the team comfortably atop the Eastern Conference standings at 29-8. Budenholzer has earned a reputation for beautiful offensive coaching (and it is justified), but the Hawks are also making waves defensively as a top-five team on that end (100.1 points allowed per 100) and that is a testament to his well-rounded abilities. With all due respect to the rest of the league, captaining this version of the Hawks to this record makes him a slam dunk choice if the season concluded today.
2. Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors – It is almost unfair to Kerr to play second fiddle. That is how good he has been this season. Yes, the Warriors have considerable talent, but it is virtually identical to last year’s squad, and Golden State is leaps and bounds better to the tune of the best record (29-5) and net rating (+12.9 points per 100 possessions) by comfortable margins. Kerr’s imprint has been felt on both ends, but his ability to translate high-end offense (4th in the NBA) while keeping their incredible defensive pace (best in the NBA) is impressive. You would have a hard time finding a better “debut” performance from a first-year NBA coach.
3. Terry Stotts, Portland Trail Blazers – Portland always seems to fly under the radar, but Stotts has done tremendous work. Last season, the Blazers burst onto the scene with an unexpected offensive onslaught that carried them to the playoffs, but this year, Portland is set on a more sustainable model that includes a top-five defense that allows only 98.7 points per 100 possessions. The biggest share of national credit for their success always goes to the duo of LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard, but Terry Stotts has been an above-average coach for a while now, and he deserves a tip of the hat for guiding his team to a 30-8 mark.

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