OKC Thunder’s Scott Brooks named NBA Coach of the Year
Unlike this year’s NBA playoff bracket, where both 8-seeds are legitimately feisty and each conference has up to four teams that could realistically make the Finals, the NBA awards season is turning out to be pretty predictable.
Wire-to-wire favorite Dwight Howard won Defensive Player of the Year in a landslide, LeBron James is expected to similarly dominate MVP voting, Tyreke Evans is pretty much a lock for Rookie of the Year — and today Oklahoma City’s Scott Brooks was named Coach of the Year.
After taking over the Thunder in the middle of last season, Brooks, former assistant of P.J. Carlesimo, has overseen a drastic improvement. The team won 50 games this year, 27 more than the previous season, as Kevin Durant blossomed into a superstar and Russell Westbrook became one of the League’s top young point guards.
While I still contend that Nate McMillan should have won Coach of the Year, Brooks was close to a guarantee as he fit the familiar criteria and OKC was a popular feel-good story all season.
Brooks got 71 out of 123 first-place votes. Milwaukee’s Scott Skiles finished second (26 first-place votes), followed by McMillan, Utah’s Jerry Sloan, Phoenix’s Alvin Gentry and Charlotte’s Larry Brown. Orlando’s Stan Van Gundy and Denver’s George Karl also received one first-place vote apiece. Houston’s Rick Adelman, a popular choice for C.O.Y. around midseason, finished eighth. Last year’s winner, Cleveland’s Mike Brown, only got two third-place votes.
* In other coaching news, Hornets GM/interim coach Jeff Bower will resume his position in the front office and leave the bench. That creates openings now in New Orleans, L.A. (Clippers), Philadelphia and New Jersey. And don’t be surprised if Chicago is looking for a new coach as soon as their playoff run is over.
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April 21st, 2010 at 6:04 pm
Dan says:
He deserves it.
April 21st, 2010 at 7:02 pm
s.bucketz says:
What coaching changes did he make made this team what it is this year???I didn’t watch too many games last year (like every1 else outside of OKC-dont bullshit urself sayin u did) and I’m really not sure what he did. I think the record is more of a testament for Durantula for MVP, Westbrook for MIP and Presti for GMOY…didn’t see what coaching had to do with it.
Nate Mac shooda got it with all the injuries and shit he went thru and still finished in the playoffs
And i think there jus fuckin wit Jerry Sloan til he retires and they gunna give him some kind of lifetime achievement award for coaching…cuz its redic he still dont got 1
April 21st, 2010 at 7:04 pm
Bizz says:
With everything that Portland had to go through to get to where they are, you can make a serious case for Nate McMillian. The amount of man games they lost to injury covers the span of 3 regular seasons alone. That being said, Brooks was also deserving of the award.
And when the hell is Jerry Sloan gonna get his COY award?
April 21st, 2010 at 8:22 pm
Heckler says:
Coach of the Year is the most BULLSHIT award/honor in the NBA.
it NEVER goes to the coach that has done the best coaching job. it goes to the coach whos team was the biggest SURPRISE.
Avery Johnson was COY and cant get a new head coach gig.
Sam Mitchell was COY and got run out of Toronto.
Byron Scott was COY twice and cant get a job
Mike Brown was COY and is about to lose his
Mike Dantoni was COY and got run out of ‘zona and cant get the sorry ass knicks to 25wins with his sorry ass bullshit 7 seconds or less system
Jerry sloan has never won one (because his teams always reach their expectations)
..and even more alarming, Phil Jackson one has ONE coach of the year award. ONE!
12 trips to the finals and 10 chips, but only one pathetic COY award for zen Phil.
like i said, no disrespect to scott brooks, but this has been a BULLSHIT award for like the last 20yrs
April 21st, 2010 at 9:20 pm
bola says:
i agree with heckler
Sloan and Jackson.. the most consistent and the 10 time champion has 1 COY award.. Mike Brown should give his COY to LBJ..
That is total bull!
April 21st, 2010 at 10:13 pm
dagwaller says:
Wow. Great post, Heckler.
April 21st, 2010 at 10:40 pm
jzsmoove says:
another year lost to bullshit, jerry Sloan will get his due some day. he should take a dive next season for a 20-win season, then blast out of the gates again for a 50-win season the next after that. and shpladah! COY in the bag.
April 21st, 2010 at 11:18 pm
quest??? says:
@ s bucketz the thunder improved immensely defensively. they were the number one shot blocking team in the league this year.
April 22nd, 2010 at 12:42 am
johnsacrimoni says:
Scott Skiles should have won. I do agree with Heckelr though
April 22nd, 2010 at 5:58 am
sh!tfaced says:
Guess we’ll be expecting Brooks to be fired anytime soon.
COY is the most bogus award
April 22nd, 2010 at 12:25 pm
QQ says:
@ 4: Very good points.
You know there’s something wrong when one of the greatest coach EVER has not yet won one. But I guess when fans are arguing when Jerry Sloan would get the COY every single year, that’s greater than actually receiving this award. That’s real talk right there.