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2016-17 NBA Awards Season: Top 5 Coach Of The Year Candidates

By Gerald Bourguet

April 10, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Houston Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni watches game action against the Los Angeles Clippers during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
April 10, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Houston Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni watches game action against the Los Angeles Clippers during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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Coach of the Year
Apr 5, 2017; Charlotte, NC, USA; Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra gestures from the sidelines in the first half against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Erik Spoelstra

The Miami Heat have to win their last game to reach .500 on the season, and they still might miss the playoffs even if they do. That alone makes it hard to vote Erik Spoelstra as Coach of the Year, especially after watching firsthand as Jeff Hornacek finished second in COY voting in 2013-14 despite his Goran Dragic-led Suns team — which was expected to tank — winning 48 games in a far more challenging Western Conference.

However, one injustice does not merit another, and there’s no question that Spo has done an incredible job since his team started the season 11-30.

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Since that time, the Heat have gone 29-11, which is the third-best record in the NBA in that span. Miami also sports the league’s eighth-best offense and third-best defense during that time, which, if it had been sustained over the whole season, would make them one of three other teams to rank in the top 10 for both offensive and defensive efficiency (Warriors, Spurs, Raptors).

The Heat need the Bulls to lose their final game of the season against Brooklyn to cap off this dramatic turnaround with a postseason berth, and if that somehow happens, you can bet Spoelstra will earn extra Coach of the Year votes.

With a roster of Hassan Whiteside, an older version of 2013-14 Phoenix Suns Goran Dragic, Dion Waiters, point forward James Johnson and a bunch of role players, Spo has transformed the Heat into a playoff-caliber team midseason.

Without LeBron James, Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh, Spoelstra has reminded people that he’s a legitimately great coach, rather than just a benefactor of elite talent as many people thought during the Big Three era.