NBA Awards Watch: January Shuffles The Decks
By Phil Watson
Coach of the Year
A legendary coach drops out of the top three contenders as a former winner of the award drops in, likely much to the chagrin of his former constituency in the Great Plains.
But the top two contenders at the first of the year remain 1-2 in the race.
In the conversation: Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs (No. 3 last month); Mike Budenholzer, Atlanta Hawks; Quin Snyder, Utah Jazz.
3. Scott Brooks, Washington Wizards
Scott Brooks tried things the new way in his first month as the new coach of the Washington Wizards.
Washington Wizards
After all, general manager Ernie Grunfeld spent money like crazy over the summer trying to improve the bench, bringing in free agents Ian Mahinmi, Andrew Nicholson, Jason Smith and Marcus Thornton; trading for Trey Burke; and signing 2012 draft pick Tomas Satoransky.
After starting the season 6-11 and discovering his reserves had the virtual effect of throwing gasoline on a house fire, Brooks decided it was time to kick it old school — like 1986-87 Boston Celtics style.
No team has played its starters more than Brooks’ Wizards this season. The starting five of forwards Markieff Morris and Otto Porter, center Marcin Gortat and guards Bradley Beal and John Wall have been on the floor together 834 minutes, per Basketball-Reference.com. Morris, at 31.9 minutes per game, averages the least playing time of the unit.
The starting five has remained remarkably healthy–Wall has missed two games and Beal just four, but it’s a risky gambit. Wall does have a checkered injury history and Beal showed the fragility of a wine glass at a demolition site in his first four seasons.
But it’s working and Brooks, the 2009-10 Coach of the Year with the Oklahoma City Thunder, has been pushing the right buttons for two months now as Washington is 22-9 since that slow start.
2. David Fizdale, Memphis Grizzlies
The Grit ‘N’ Grind got a bit of a facelift, but rookie head coach David Fizdale has the Memphis Grizzlies getting results with the altered formula.
Memphis is still in the top five in the NBA in defensive efficiency (fourth at 105.6 points allowed per 100 possessions), still near the bottom of the pack in offensive efficiency (a 106.3 per 100 rate has them 20th in the NBA) and they aren’t quick (28th in pace).
But they’ve embraced the 3-pointer, hitting 35.4 percent (19th in the league) while ranking 13th in makes and 14th in attempts after ranking 29th, 27th and 25th, respectively, in those categories a season ago.
And, oh by the way, the Grizzlies are 29-21, sixth in the Western Conference, and appear solidly on their way to a seventh consecutive postseason appearance.
So why did it take 13 years as an assistant before this guy got a shot at the lead chair again?
1. Mike D’Antoni, Houston Rockets
The reclamation project of the year has to be the coaching career of Mike D’Antoni.
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are a solid third in the Western Conference at 36-16 through January, three games behind second-place San Antonio and four games up on the Los Angeles Clippers and D’Antoni has done it his way.
The Rockets are taking nearly 40 3-pointers a night (39.6), the most in the league and on pace to be the most in the history of the league.
He unleashed James Harden, point guard, and The Beard responded by leading the NBA in assists while still dropping 28.4 points a game and upping his rebounding by more than two a night.
D’Antoni also created Eric Gordon, sixth man extraordinaire, who is taking and making more long balls than almost everyone in the league. Gordon is second behind Stephen Curry in makes through January with 170 and trails only Curry and Harden in attempts with 440.
Houston has weathered injuries to defensive pest Patrick Beverley and new starting center Clint Capela, embraced a faster new style and quickly moved on from the lengthy shadow of former All-Star big man Dwight Howard.
It’s more than enough to remind us that that once upon a time–he was the 2004-05 Coach of the Year, remember–and once again, Mike D’Antoni can be a very effective coach with the right personnel.