Award Watch: Coach of the Year
By: Alex Raskin Last Updated: 12/10/08 1:26 PM ET | 961 times read
Increase Font Size
Decrease Font Size
Adjust font size:
Both Mike Brown and Doc Rivers made large jumps in this week's "Coach of the Year" rankings as compared with last week's. Brown's use of perimeter shooters to complement LeBron James has put his team firmly atop the Central Division standings while Rivers' Celtics have won 12 straight. Phil Jackson's candidacy slipped some this week thanks to two tough losses and Jerry Sloan fell out of the top five. The largest jump this week however was that of New Jersey's Lawrence Frank. The Nets are establishing themselves as playoff contenders thanks to Frank's loosened reigns on the offense and Devin Harris is thriving in this atmosphere.
#1 (4) Mike Brown – Cleveland Cavaliers (18-3) – The Cleveland Cavaliers currently rank in the top two in offensive and defensive efficiency (points scored and points allowed per 100 possessions), true shooting percentage (which weights three-pointers and includes foul shots), rebounding rate (percentage of missed shots that a team rebounds) while ranking sixth-best in turnover rate (percentage of a team's possessions that end in a turnover). Bottom line: Mike Brown has turned Cleveland into the most efficient team in basketball. LeBron James doesn't have a Robin to his Batman, but he does have a collection of good three-point shooters around him that can also defend. Since starting the year 1-2, Brown's Cavs have gone 17-1. The only major concern with Cleveland thus far is their lack of competition. They've faced a few good teams but have not yet played the Lakers, Magic, Blazers, Rockets or Spurs. Obviously, those and their three remaining games against Boston will test Brown and the Cavs.
#2 (HM) Doc Rivers – Boston Celtics (20-2) – Winners of 12 in a row, the Boston Celtics are still the team to beat. Doc Rivers has done an excellent job allowing assistant coach Tom Thibodeau to continue his work with Boston's defense. The Celtics currently allow only 91 points per game (second-best in the NBA). However, Rivers' biggest accomplishments have come from his work with young players. Rajon Rondo – thought to be a weakness for Boston a year ago – now averages over 10 points and 7.5 assists per game while picking up over two steals per contest. Tony Allen is playing like he did before his ACL tear and Kendrick Perkins has been a rock down low. As for the "Big Three," everyone is still sacrificing personal statistics for wins. Kevin Garnett is scoring less than 17 per game, yet his defense and leadership have never been more important. Rivers' relaxed lockeroom atmosphere has a lot to do with his star players' positive attitudes.
#3 (1) Phil Jackson – Los Angeles Lakers (17-3) –The Lakers received wake-up calls against Indiana and Sacramento recently. The 15-point fourth quarter lead that L.A. blew against the Pacers can be chalked up to some bad luck, but the Kings may have shown the rest of the league the Lakers' weaknesses on Tuesday. L.A. has enjoyed a defensive rebirth this season by adopting the strongside trap in the half-court. However, their transition defense was exposed by the Kings; and Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar each struggled to contain Beno Udrih and Bobby Jackson. Sacramento was without Kevin Martin but by turning up the pace, they neutralized the Lakers' vaunted half-court defense. Jackson remains a candidate for Coach of the Year because of the new player rotation and improved play of Trevor Ariza; and if he can fix the team's transition defense like he did in the half-court, the award is his to lose.
#4 (HM) Lawrence Frank – New Jersey Nets (11-8) – Is there a bigger fan of the Jason Kidd trade than Lawrence Frank? New point guard Devin Harris has been much more than advertised. Frank has allowed the former Maverick to drive the lane at will, where Harris has been getting fouled (11.2 free throw attempts per game – second best in the NBA) and put on the line where he makes over 82% of his attempts. Thanks to the freedom given to him by Frank, Harris (24.4 ppg this season) has more than doubled his career scoring average. The Nets have won nine of their last 12 and have beaten six playoff teams from a season ago. New Jersey also ranks fifth in the NBA in offensive efficiency. Admit it. You never thought the Nets would be this good.
#5 (HM) Stan Van Gundy – Orlando Magic (17-5) – Van Gundy's greatest attribute is his ability to simplify. The Magic just let Dwight Howard shine in the middle while the four other guys on the floor alternately drive, shoot or kick it back out to another shooter. Van Gundy's teams always have good spacing and for all the criticism of Jameer Nelson, the Magic point guard is having a solid year (18.54 Player Efficiency Rating – 3.54 points better than the league average). The biggest concern with Van Gundy's candidacy is his team's lack of quality wins. Orlando needed a late Hedo Turkoglu three-pointer Tuesday, to even their season series with Portland. Other than that, the Magic's most impressive wins this season have come against Philadelphia (9-12) and Dallas (11-9).
Honorable Mentions:
Mike D'Antoni – Knicks: Due to some roster upheaval, D'Antoni's performance has become clouded over his team's recent 3-7 stretch. Ultimately D'Antoni must be graded on how his players developed this year. Wilson Chandler, Chris Duhon, David Lee, Nate Robinson and a few others are all playing their best basketball. Danilo Gallinari's back is hindering his progress, but the possibilities are very interesting.
Nate McMillan – Trail Blazers: McMillan continues to find ways to give all of his young talent (minus Jerryd Bayless and Ike Diogu) playing time. Portland was tested twice in the last week (Boston and Orlando) and failed both tests. Still, the Blazers are second in the NBA in offensive efficiency and all of the young players continue to develop under McMillan's tutelage.
Jerry Sloan – Jazz: The team's ability to overcome injuries as well as his new rotation catapulted Sloan to second in the rankings last week. This week, however, losses to Miami and Phoenix have exposed some cracks in the armor. Certainly the Jazz are still not at full strength, but they do need more quality wins if Sloan is to be considered for the award. Utah defeated Utah, Portland and Phoenix earlier this season but lost crucial games to San Antonio and Cleveland since then. With Portland, Orlando, Boston, New Jersey and Detroit in their immediate future, Sloan and the Jazz will be tested.
Rick Adelman – Rockets: Being the head coach in Houston means dealing with injuries and nobody is doing this better than Adelman is right now. Without a backup for his injury-risk center Yao Ming or consistent play at the point, the Rockets are leading the Southwest and are sixth in the NBA in defensive efficiency.
Gregg Popovich (San Antonio), Eric Spoelstra (Miami) and Mike Woodson (Atlanta) continue to do good work but nothing any of them accomplished in the last week or so merited much praise. It's tough to grade every coach by his team's record. While Rivers and Jackson are judged by wins, someone like D'Antoni is expected to develop young talent as the Knicks are rebuilding. With that in mind, keep an eye out for Memphis' Marc Iavaroni. There is zero chance he could actually win the award due to the Grizzlies' record, but he is cutting down on some of his young players' bad habits. Clearly it's an uphill battle, but that doesn't mean Iavaroni is doing a bad job.
