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NBA Awards Watch: The MVP race is over

By Brad Rowland

Feb 27, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts after hitting the game winning shot against the Oklahoma City Thunder in overtime at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 27, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts after hitting the game winning shot against the Oklahoma City Thunder in overtime at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
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Head Coach Terry Stotts of the Portland Trail Blazers smiles on the sidelines during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at BMO Harris Bradley Center on December 7, 2015 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike McGinnis/Getty Images)
Head Coach Terry Stotts of the Portland Trail Blazers smiles on the sidelines during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at BMO Harris Bradley Center on December 7, 2015 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike McGinnis/Getty Images) /

From Stephen Curry and Kawhi Leonard to Karl-Anthony Towns and Kristaps Porzingis, the NBA is experiencing no shortage of tremendous individual performances during the 2015-2016 season. As we do each month, this space is assigned to praising those individual efforts in the form of a look at the NBA’s award races and, well, one of those races is effectively over with more than six weeks of basketball to play.

We’ll address that particular race later, but for now, let’s get things going with a glance at the NBA Coach of the Year pursuit.

Coach of the Year

  1. Terry Stotts, Portland Trail Blazers – When are people going to realize that Terry Stotts is fantastic? Much of the credit for Portland’s strong season has been attributed to GM Neil Olshey (who has also been great), but Stotts’ work on the bench has been phenomenal. The Blazers were expected to finish with one of the worst five records in the NBA, and all Stotts has done is engineer a season that looks to end in a playoff berth. It would be controversial if he took home the honor, but it would not be undeserved.
  2. Whoever coaches the Golden State Warriors – I don’t care what anyone says. It is too weird to give Steve Kerr the Coach of the Year award. Yes, the Warriors are the best team in the history of the NBA at this very moment, but Kerr missed nearly half the season and some credit for this candidacy has to go to Luke Walton. In the end, Kerr will probably win, but some sort of asterisk must exist.
  3. Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs – The Warriors were supposed to be transcendent, but the Spurs are nipping at their heels in relative anonymity. Don’t get me wrong, Golden State should be the story, but the Spurs are 50-9 and Popovich is still doing Popovich things. He remains the best coach on the planet, and that is worthy of ballot inclusion, even in the year of the Warriors.

Next: Most Improved Player

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