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NBA Awards Watch: Karl-Anthony Towns Blows The Competition Away

By Ben Nadeau

Dec 20, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) being defended by Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) in the 1st half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: William Hauser-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 20, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) being defended by Brooklyn Nets center Brook Lopez (11) in the 1st half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: William Hauser-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 11, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) high fives head coach David Blatt (R) against the Orlando Magic during the second half at Amway Center. The Cavaliers won 111-76. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 11, 2015; Orlando, FL, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) high fives head coach David Blatt (R) against the Orlando Magic during the second half at Amway Center. The Cavaliers won 111-76. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Coach of the Year

1. David Blatt, Cleveland Cavaliers (Last Week: 1, –)

Kyrie Irving is back and healthy.

Good luck, NBA.

Blatts’ Win of the Week: 12/17, Cleveland Cavaliers 104, Oklahoma City Thunder 100
Week Grade: A

2. Luke Walton, Golden State Warriors (Last Week: 2, Up 1)

Walton is a great coach and I already can’t wait to see how he does as the leader of a not-historically incredible team next year when he inevitably takes millions of dollars to coach that train-wreck in Brooklyn or Los Angeles. Even as Walton survived in the league as a solid bench piece, people talked about his brilliant mind and his obviously future in coaching — and while it doesn’t hurt to have the league’s MVP and DPotY, Walton deserves some massive credit for filling Steve Kerr‘s shoes pretty damn well.

Walton’s Win of the Week: 12/18, Golden State Warriors, 121, Milwaukee Bucks 112
Week Grade: A

3. Frank Vogel, Indiana Pacers (Last Week: –, Up 1)

Yo, Frankie!

While this third slot could certainly be shared with all the teams chasing Cleveland (Spoelstra, Clifford, Hoiberg, and Stevens come to mind), this week it’s Frank Vogel’s turn in the spotlight. Although they dropped a couple of tough games against the Memphis Grizzlies and San Antonio Spurs, there’s something to be said about the Pacers’ resurgence. Combined with Paul George‘s ace talents, Vogel has this Pacer team punching well above their weight — I mean, their starting center is Ian Mahinmi and they rely greatly on the bench scoring of Rodney Stuckey and C.J. Miles to stay afloat in games.

The Pacers are a great team, however, full of scrappy and hard-working veterans — so if they can keep hanging with the star-laden teams in Cleveland and Miami, this would be a massive success for Vogel.

Vogel’s Win of the Week: 12/18, Indiana Pacers 104, Brooklyn Nets 97
Week Grade: B-

Week 1: Fred Hoiberg, Chicago Bulls
Week 2: Fred Hoiberg, Chicago Bulls
Week 3: Stan Van Gundy, Detroit Pistons
Week 4: Brad Stevens, Boston Celtics
Week 5: Luke Walton, Golden State Warriors
Week 6: Luke Walton, Golden State Warriors
Week 7: Luke Walton, Golden State Warriors
Week 8: David Blatt, Cleveland Cavaliers
Week 9: David Blatt, Cleveland Cavaliers

Next: Will the Thrill in the Rockies