The NBA’s Coach of the Year Award is a fleeting, but important honor. Here are the top 10 candidates for the award in 2016-17.
Head coaches don’t last very long in the NBA, which is why the league’s Coach of the Year Award is such a fleeting but ultimately important distinction.
Hardly anyone can be Gregg Popovich, earning 20+ years of trust with the same organization, winning a few championships and enjoying unparalleled success by cranking out 50-win seasons year after year.
Most head coaches are lucky to experience something like Jeff Hornacek‘s recent trajectory: Enjoy a promising start (48 wins in 2013-14 to finish second in Coach of the Year voting), watch it all collapse due to circumstances out of your control, get fired, and move on to the next gig.
At this point, the NBA has become a carousel when it comes to head coaches. It doesn’t take long for prominent names to fade, nor does it take them long to resurface wielding new ideas and a fresh outlook wherever they pop up next after the disgrace of an early termination.
But as much as superstars and players win games, coaches are more than capable of losing them. Finding a coach who will put players in position to be successful can be crucial, while managing egos and be just as important as managing minutes and Xs and Os.
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From projected team success to fit with the roster to building new basketball cultures, there’s a lot that goes into this award. Bearing all that in mind, it’s time to take a look around the league at the top 10 candidates for the NBA’s Coach of the Year Award.
Honorable Mentions: Scott Brooks, Doc Rivers, Mike D’Antoni, Dwane Casey, Terry Stotts, David Fizdale, Nate McMillan, Dave Joerger, Michael Malone, Luke Walton