Heading into the NBA Awards the Coach of the Year award featured three strong in-season candidates. Of course, OKC Thunder Head Coach Billy Donovan wasn’t among the list and likely didn’t get many sniffs at being a nominee given how much the team fell off in the second half.
The three nominees included the Milwaukee Bucks Mike Budenholzer, Denver Nuggets Michael Malone, and Los Angeles Clippers Doc Rivers.
This award perhaps more than any could’ve featured numerous other options. For example, the fact Nick Nurse, a first year Head Coach not only navigated 22 missed games of Kawhi Leonard’s load management but a further 17 without Kyle Lowry.