Steve Kerr was named the 2016 NBA Coach of the Year
The Boston Celtics improved by eight wins this season, but it wasn’t enough for Brad Stevens to earn Coach of the Year honors. Instead, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr walked away with the hardware. Kerr led the Warriors to a historic 73-9 mark, however, was only on the sidelines for 39 of those games due to off-season back surgery.
Luke Walton stepped in as the interim head coach, leading the Warriors to a 39-4 mark. Kerr finished the season with a 34-5 record in games he coached in, yet he still received 64 first place votes and was able to edge out Portland’s Terry Stotts 381-to-335 in points.
Brad Stevens finished sixth in voting, receiving five first place votes. Gregg Popovich, Steve Clifford and Dwane Casey all finished ahead of the Celtics’ head coach.
The Celtics were one of the most surprising teams in the NBA this season – holding the three seed in the East heading into the final week of the regular season. For that reason alone, it seems odd that Stevens didn’t get the recognition of at least a top-five finish. He also was able to find a rotation that clicked with a roster that is without a superstar and whose depth is compiled of average-skilled players.
Brad Stevens transformed Isaiah Thomas into an All-Star and showed off his developmental skills by improving his young team throughout the entire season – most notably Evan Turner and Marcus Smart.
There is no doubt the Celtics and Brad Stevens had a great year, but Terry Stotts was my pick for the award, with Stevens second. The Portland Trail Blazers entered the season in the mindset of rebuilding their team after they replaced nearly their entire starting lineup. Stotts was able to get the most out of his team, pushing them to 44 wins and the fifth seed in the Western Conference.
Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum formed one of the most lethal backcourts in the league this season, and the job Stotts did with a very underwhelming starting lineup was impressive. The fact Portland has a chance to move on to the second round – with some help from injuries to the Los Angeles Clippers – highlights the job that Terry Stotts did with his team this season.
Gregg Popovich is one of the best coaches to ever walk the sideline, but finishing third in Coach of the Year voting this season doesn’t seem right. The San Antonio Spurs won 55 games last season and added top-tier power forward LaMarcus Aldridge in the off-season. His wizardry to continuously put together one of the best teams in the NBA year-after-year is impressive, but it’s nothing new.
He had the team this season to put together a special season, and he did – a little better than some would have expected but he didn’t turn around a team like other coaches did. It’s no shot at Pops or the Spurs, but when you’re expected to finish near the top of the West and you do, the Coach of the Year award shouldn’t go to you.
Steve Clifford came onto the scene as the season progressed. The Charlotte Hornets improved by 15 games this season and went from 11th in the East to sixth. It was an impressive season, led by All-Star snub Kemba Walker. There is no doubting the great coaching season Clifford had, however, you can also look back to their acquisition of Nicolas Batum as a big help. Nonetheless, the Hornets were one of the strongest teams in the second half of the season, so finishing near the top in Coach of the Year voting isn’t much of a surprise.
The final coach to finish ahead of Brad Stevens was Dwane Casey. The Toronto Raptors finished near the top of the East once again. They weren’t able to jump the Cleveland Cavaliers, however, finished just one game back. The Raptors did limp to the finish line down the stretch as they reached their peak near the middle of the season. Toronto has been a good but not great team for a couple of years now and nothing changed this season, so why did Casey finish so high?
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This isn’t supposed to be a shot at Steve Kerr or any of the other coaches. Kerr (and Walton) are both deserving of the award. They won a record 73 games this season and there was seemingly no way to stop the Warriors. When it comes down to it, the voting panned out by honoring a couple of coaches who’ve had dominating seasons before and didn’t exceed expectations.
The improvement that the Celtics had throughout the entire year exemplifies the job that Brad Stevens did. He took a team with no All-Stars and brought them one while just missing out on home-court advantage in the first round. Maybe he shouldn’t have won the award, but a sixth place finish seems low and unknowledgeable about the type of season he and his team had.
Next: Isaiah Thomas Will Play in Game 6
My Top-Five Coach of the Year Ballot
- Terry Stotts, Portland
- Brad Stevens, Boston
- Steve Clifford, Charlotte
- Stan Van Gundy, Detroit
- Steve Kerr, Golden State