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NBA Awards Watch: Full Midseason Awards

By Gerald Bourguet

Apr 5, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard (2) is defended by Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) during the second half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 5, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs small forward Kawhi Leonard (2) is defended by Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) during the second half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 30, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich talks to David West (behind) and LaMarcus Aldridge (right) during the second half against the Phoenix Suns at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /

Coach of the Year: Gregg Popovich

Honorable Mentions: Luke Walton/Steve Kerr, Fred Hoiberg, Frank Vogel, Stan Van Gundy, Scott Skiles, Rick Carlisle

With confusion about whether a Golden State Warriors vote would be going to interim Luke Walton or the still-absent Steve Kerr, the clear choice for Coach of the Year is once again Gregg Popovich. Even if there was a clear-cut reason behind Walton not being credited with the Dubs’ 37-4 record to the halfway point of the season, you could still make a stronger argument for Pop.

Coming off a 67-win season and a championship, the Warriors have everyone but David Lee back this season. Their continuity has proven to be their greatest strength — unless of course you remember that they also have the league MVP and one of the most destructive offensive weapons in NBA history in Stephen Curry.

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Popovich, on the other hand, has coached the San Antonio Spurs to a sublime 36-6 record — only 1.5 games behind the Warriors in the standings. Kawhi Leonard is evolving into an MVP candidate of his own, but what’s most impressive about San Antonio is their depth. What other coach would be able to turn Jonathon Simmons, Boban Marjanovic and Kyle Anderson into solid rotation players so quickly?

Fred Hoiberg deserves some credit for having his Chicago Bulls third in the Eastern Conference standings, Frank Vogel earns a shout-out for fielding a top-10 defense after an overnight switch to small-ball, Rick Carlisle might be a warlock coaxing wins out of this current Mavericks roster, and Van Gundy and Skiles have vastly improved their respective teams too.

But with the way Pop has coached up the finest bench in the NBA after the offseason departures of Tiago Splitter, Marco Belinelli, Cory Joseph and Aron Baynes, not to mention how he incorporated LaMarcus Aldridge so quickly, he’s head and shoulders above the rest of the pack.

Next: Rookie Of The Year