When should you vote for Coach of the Year?
by Tom Halzack on Aug 13, 2009 12:19 AM EDT
in Boston Celtics Articles
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PrintMike Brown - 55 first place votes
Glenn ‘Doc' Rivers - 1 first place vote
Brown garnered 355 total points and the COTY Award 2009. Rivers? 15 total points.
After a critic-answering, head-shakingly good 66 win season, shattering the Cavaliers win record (previous high was 57) with a smothering, stifling defense led by LeBron James, Brown received the trophy in a landslide. Second place went to Houston's steadfast Rick Adelman with 151 points, only 204 points off Brown's winning total. (The complete voting results follow at the end of the article.)
Would waiting until after the playoffs have changed the outcome? Should it have?
Let's just say that I'm sure that the voting would have been different. Rick Adelman would have made it much closer if nothing else. Stan Van Gundy would have jumped up. Totals for Rivers and even Rick Carlisle likely would have gone up.
Would you have let Mike Brown off the hook and given him the votes anyway?
Fast Forward
Slightly less than eight weeks and a mere 14 playoff games later, Brown's job was rumored to be in jeopardy. It was rumored that Cavs management was shaken by the way things ended. They were said to believe that Brown was out coached by Van Gundy.
According to Sam Amico in the probasketballnews Danny Ferry denied all such suggestions, calling them 'terrible lies', yet Amico quoted an unnamed source in the same article that further said they were even unhappy with the two wins.
After blowing through eight consecutive playoff wins against the crumbling Detroit Pistons and injured Atlanta Hawks, the Cavaliers came undone in six games against a team that the Celtics led 3-2, and could have beaten in six if they had Leon Powe and Kevin Garnett available. The Celtics finally faded, folded and gave up the ghost, the NBA title rolling free from the death grip of their collectively exhausted hands.
Achieving 62 surprising wins with Garnett out for 25 games and little depth on the bench was more than admirable. Losing Powe after 2 playoff games, getting little help from the subs, but winning 3 of 4 games against the Magic after dropping the critical first game, doesn't really win you anything except perhaps some league wide respect.
But with Cleveland's unexpected stumble coupled with Orlando's rise, and Houston's surprising playoff stand without Yao Ming, Dikembe Mutombo, and Tracy McGrady, would voting have been different?
I understand this question might be asked in any number of years. For the sake of argument, in light of its playoff surprises, this past year will do.
If you think that the playoffs shouldn't matter...
Since instituting the award in 1963, only one coach has ever won the award without making the playoffs - yep, Doc Rivers with Orlando (41-41). Hubie Brown's 1977-78 Hawks went 41-41 but they made the playoffs. Only one other time in the history of the award was it given to a coach of a team with a record under .500. COTY Red Kerr's 1966-67 Chicago Bulls went 33-48. Believe it or not...they made the playoffs. (Only two of 10 teams didn't. Yeah. I know.)
On the other hand, Brown's masterful turnaround season in Memphis, Rivers' surprising season with undrafted and journeymen players in Orlando would have gone unrewarded... or at least un-awarded.
This season, Scott Skiles did a pretty good job with the Bucks with a poorly dealt hand. Tony Dileo righted the ship in Philly. Larry Brown in Charlotte - ditto. They got nada in voting. With few exceptions, it seems to be about winning. Should the playoffs be a part of that equation?
The Cav team with all the momentum was derailed while the Rockets fought through immense adversity, the Magic answered their critics, and the Celtics played hard for their coach, until they couldn't anymore. Did Jackson deserve better?
How much difference can a coach make? And when should the vote be taken?
How strange would it have been if those rumors about Coach Brown getting fired had any truth to them?
The only time something like that actually happened, that I can remember, was with the Yankees and Player/Manager Yogi Berra in 1963, after the Bronx Bombers lost to St. Louis in 7 games.
Actual Coach of the Year voting results (source)
| Coach (Team) | Votes: 1st place | 2nd place | 3rd place | Points |
| Mike Brown (Cavaliers) | 55 | 21 | 17 | 355 |
| Rick Adelman (Rockets) | 13 | 24 | 14 | 151 |
| Stan Van Gundy (Magic) | 13 | 20 | 25 | 150 |
| Nate McMillan (Trail Blazers) | 15 | 14 | 10 | 127 |
| George Karl (Nuggets) | 11 | 16 | 14 | 117 |
| Jerry Sloan (Jazz) | 9 | 9 | 6 | 78 |
| Erik Spoelstra (Heat) | 2 | 8 | 19 | 53 |
| Mike Woodson (Hawks) | 1 | 3 | 3 | 17 |
| Phil Jackson (Lakers) | 1 | 3 | 3 | 17 |
| Doc Rivers (Celtics) | 1 | 2 | 4 | 15 |
| Vinny Del Negro (Bulls) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| Larry Brown (Bobcats) | - | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Scott Skiles (Bucks) | - | - | 1 | 1 |
| Tony DiLeo (Sixers) | - | - | 1 | 1 |
| Rick Carlisle (Mavericks) | - | - | 1 | 1 |
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Adelman
I don’t know how they should do the voting but I know that Adelman deserves all the praise he gets and then some for how he handled that situation last year
Nice job by Doc too – considering his best all around player was out for the playoffs and much of the stretch run
"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers" Henry V
It's always a wonder to me
that Jerry Sloan has never won coach of the year. Either way, there were plenty of valiant efforts last year and lots of teams that over-achieved in my eyes. I think the coaches have a lot to do with that and certainly Nate McMillan, George Karl, and Rick Adelman all did stellar jobs last year.
My sleeper COY candidate this year is Flip Saunders. I think Washington is gonna be much improved from last year and surprise a bunch of people. I also think their going to be a offensively potent team and that Flip will guide the ship really well.
Great read Tom, and an interesting discussion. Front page TP.
The fact that Sloan has never won tells us all we need to know about the COTY award. It’s inevitable that the award goes to either the team with the best record, or that shows the most improvement, regardless of whether that improvement can be directly attributed to the coach. I do tend to think that Doc’s done as good a job as any over the past few seasons, but they could name this thing the Sloan/Popovich award and flip-flop it between those two each year, and it would be a better reflection of actual coaching acumen than the voting that currently gets done.
"It’s inevitable that the award goes to either the team with the best record, or that shows the most improvement."
What happened in ‘08 when the C’s had a league best 66 wins, and had the biggest single season improvement in terms of wins in NBA history?
You know what?
Maybe star18 had a point about how the media feels about the Celtics. : \
Basically, they’re biased against them.
Its always a wonder to me
why jerry sloan is held in such high regard
hes never one a thing
his players hate him
the jazz organaztion has been extremly, impressively loyal to him…thats about it
Thanks for the comp Prof Clutch
Washington is an intriguing team, no doubt.
Flip has much talent there to work with.
Sloan is an integrity guy with more support from ownership than any other coach in the league that I can think of. Very unusual and a year-to-year renewal contract, IIRC.
Here's all you need to know about the COTY award
Jerry Sloan, Greg Popovich and Phil Jackson have combined to win two of them. Nuff said.
regular season
T…..your post points out the fact that there is a big difference between regular season and playoff coaching…I’m with you Prof. Clutch…Flip will suprise a few folks with the Bullets this year…
Coach of the Year Should Be Eliminated
It means nothing. Neither does GM of the year. Stern should just use the money they would have spent on the trophy to buy flowers for his secretary.
Eh...
I think the recognition is a good thing, even if it doesn’t necessarily reward the best coaches (much like MVP doesn’t necessarily reward the most “valuable” players).
I’m not sure where I come down on the timing of the award. I see the argument for doing it in the playoffs, but I also think it would lead to writers discounting an 82 game season of coaching work. For instance, if a team massively overachieved to earn a top-4 seed in the playoffs, but then lost in the first round, voters might hold it against the coach, for losing in an “upset”.
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
I feel that Doc did as good a job if this season as last season...
Last season he had three superstar players ego’s to control (players didn’t make that hard for him though), a young second year point-guard and center, and pretty much a whole newly reconstructed bench…
This season KG was out 25 games, Perk was injured for a portion of the year, Rondo was injured for a portion of the year, and Powe was injured for most of the year, Doc had lesser players to work with this season because as we all know the bench wasn’t even close to the championship one and with all this happening WE STILL MANAGED TO HAVE A 62-20 record losing 4 more games than last year when pretty much completely healthy and having a much better bench..
I think Doc was a much better coach this year than Mike Brown and most of the coahes who were top canidates for the COY award this season.
Actually, for me, if you remove Brown from the equation, I agree more or less with the next three. I am in the minority here, because I don’t think Doc did a good job. I thought he overplayed his starters. Now I know people will say we didn’t have a bench. I just disagree on that one.
In the meantime, Phil Jackson also didn’t get many votes. As much as I hate the guy, he deserves more votes.
Regarding the question, if we include the playoffs, then I think it would be hard not to give the coach of the year to the coach of the winning team. I like using the regular season where most coaches have coached the same amount of games. This coming year, I’m interested to see Saunders at Washington, as well as Rambis in Minnesota. McMillian at Portland also needs to show the can lead the team to the next level.
I thought Mike Brown was a deserving candidate for the award. I thought the Cavs punched above their weight throughout the season, except for that one series.
He did a really impressive job opening up their offense despite limited changes from the team that played in the playoffs the year prior … and I continue to think he’s the best defensive head coach in the NBA. He’s done a great job with the Cavs.
Not many take COTY award seriously...
Sloan :
Nobody has done more, with so little to work with, than JS has. When Malone & Stockton finally left, nearly everyone expected Utah to be a 25-35 win team for the next decade. They`ve overachieved.
Rivers :
He has a strong presence, and is an excellent “player`s coach”. As an “in-game” tactician, he`s lacking.
Lifetime Achievement Awards?
For those who like the idea of public awards and industry acknowledgments…
Maybe there should be Lifetime Achievement Awards for guys like Sloan, Adelman, and other like them.
And I’m definitely in favor of an Annual Towel Waver Award. They keep the players on the bench cool and it keeps himself busy. Kind of like the cowbell or tambourine player in a rock band. Something to do while everyone else is actually playing.
Plus Mississippi Queen wouldn’t have sounded as good without cowbell. That was a cowbell, right?
Yes - Wow I like you already with that Mississippi Queen reference
Sung by the group Mountain
“Mississippi Queen” was written by Leslie West (who supplies lead vocals and guitar) and drummer Corky Laing. Originally appearing on their 1970 album Climbing!, it has remained Mountain’s most popular song. It begins with the banging of Laing’s cowbell and West’s easily recognizable guitar riffs. Wikipedia
Tenacious T showing his age – gotta love that – with a cowbell reference no less
Is it Soup Yet?
Mountain?
Why I never.
ummm…my father told me about them. Honest.
More cowbell. More cowbell!
as an aside – some young musician asked me why my generation doesn’t mention Leslie West and Mountain, once he discovered them. I said there is a lot we don’t talk about or remember. And at this stage, I don’t remember why.
Leslie West
He was at Woodstock and played with Mountain, Government Mule and other groups. His album “Blues to Die For” is one of the great forgotton classics. Outstanding guitarist.
They should vote on Coach of the Year before the season begins.
Also, all the voters should be fourth graders, with English as their second language. In that way, everyone else will understand that it’s a meaningless award.
it's always a wonder to me
why people even care about this stuff – gimme the banner, baby.
allstar, mvp players like lebron can make anyone look like the coach of the year. that goes for doc too. doc has been “outcoached” on many, many occasions.
the regular season matters
as do the awards given at the end, they mean a lot of the players and coaches and i doubt anyone involved in the NBA directly actually scoffs at these as many posters here have
I'll tell you what really matters to the coaches and players. It's the money.
If you want a Coach of the Year award that actually signifies something, then give it to the coach who resigns with a team for the largest increase in compensation and years. Attaboys are a dime a dozen.
no1 said that the awards done mean alot to players n coaches but sum awards like coach of the year dont have anything to do with the best coach. all the coaches that had more votes than doc arnt as good coaches except jerry sloan and george karl, and maybe rick adelman other than that doc is better than every guy on that list but phil jackson who both had 1 vote. phil jackson had 1 vote hes the best coach in the history of the nba arguably. mike brown got it becasue of lebron.
Cav reg season skewed
The Cavs were well geared to win reg season games. Lebron’s a load, and its a lot of work to keep up with him and the help over 82 games. So Bornw looks like a prodigy. Come the playoffs, Coach Browns didnt look so good anymore. Part of it was the hand he was dealt: slow front court, indifferent wings. But he dint play it well. High pick and roll to Lebron, high pick and roll…
MVP's and COY should not be on the same team.
It hardly seems fair to other coaches who work with less and never win. At no point should a team win the Coach of the Year and MVP. It seems like a contradiction to me. It happened with Lebron and Brown and a few years back with Nash and D’antoni. I believe they should mean more than just statistics. Doc should have had more consideration given the fact of all our injuries and our 62 win season despite that. Van Gundy should be in the mix as well but his players didn’t seem to like him. So I don’t know what that tells you.
In the Eastern Conference Finals
I think Brown showed that the COY award definitely skewed his thinking a bit. I’m still trying to understand his refusal to adjust his defensive matchups – why Delonte was guarding Turk and LeBron was on Lee is mindboggling.
How it should’ve been
Z guards Howard
Bron defends R. Lewis
Varejao guards Turk
Delonte on Lee
Mo on Alston
Still not perfect, but so much better than what it turned out to be.
Don't Trade Rondo or Perk!
Regarding Doc's one COTY win
Doc won that award in Phil Jackson’s first season with the Lakers. Heading into that season the Lakers were fresh off yet another sweep out of the postseason (by the eventual champion Spurs), and most predictions had LA finishing no higher than 4th in the West. Yet in Jackson’s first season as coach the Lakers won 67 games and the championship.
And Doc Rivers won the award for coaching a team to a .500 record and a lottery berth.
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