8p9s Prediction Time: End-of-Season Awards
By Jared Wade
5. Coach of the Year
Young: Gregg Popovich. I’ve never understood how we can infer Pop’s basketball intelligence, skill, and mindset can change each year. They remain the same, and he should receive this award each season until he’s done.
LaFollette: Gregg Popovich. Because he’s the Coach of the Year we deserve, but not the one who will win right now.
Dhani: Gregg Popovich. I would’ve said Jeff Hornacek, but I don’t think the voters would pick him now that the Suns got knocked out of the postseason. With that, give Pop the credit. Heck, he could probably win this award every season because he’s so good. This is the fourth consecutive seasons the Spurs are the No. 1 see and it’s amazing he continues to do this as the Spurs core of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan get older.
Washburn: Rick Carlisle. Thibs and Hornacek can make fantastic arguments, but I just don’t see any logical reasoning as to why Dallas made the playoffs this year, other than the fact that Dirk is really good and…well…Rick Carlisle is amazing. Anyone that can figure out how to turn Monta Ellis into a team player and get Vince Carter to play anything resembling consistent defense deserves all the praise he can get.
Friedman: Jeff Hornacek. Pretty much the same thing as Dragic. Forget that the Suns were one of the funnest teams to watch this year. They were expected by most to finish with a bottom five record; they almost made the playoffs in the Western Conference and only ten teams in the entire NBA had a better record than them.
Sartori: Greg Popovich. Do I really need to justify this? His team has the best record in the league, with not one player averaging over 30 minutes per game. They’re 4th in defensive rating, and 6th in offensive rating. Only one player on their roster made the all-star team. Voters seem to like to give this award to the younger guys that coached teams to better records than we expected, but there isn’t a single coach in the league who deserves this anymore than Pop.
Bishop: Gregg Popovich. I find it amazing Pop throws guys out on the court like Aron Baynes and Damion James in games against West juggernauts without blinking an eye. It’s even more amazing they are doing this after last year’s NBA Finals debacle.
Stewart: Gregg Popovich. Once again the NBA is shocked by the brilliance of Gregg Poppovich, his perfectly timed short interviews, his substitution patterns, his team in general. He’s exhibited qualities that every excellent coach should have, and more.
Rettig: Frank Vogel. This is easily the toughest award to hand out, in my opinion. Gregg Popovich will probably win it. Had the Phoenix Suns made the playoffs, I think Jeff Hornacek would be the anonymous choice. As for Vogel, well, why not? Indiana had a great season overall and 56 wins is quite an accomplishment. Much respect for all the candidates being considered for this award.
Grand: Jeff Hornacek: The Suns were predicted to be one of the worst teams in the league and ended being one win shy of a playoff birth in the brutal Western Conference. Hornacek took a bunch of nobodies and turned them into a somebody. Players other teams thought they had no use for (Miles Plumlee, Gerald Green, the Morris twins) have flourished under Hornacek. He did a masterful job this season.