The Boston Celtics have been one of the great surprise stories of the season. Much of the credit for that success goes to head coach Joe Mazzulla. Tonight they play another surprise team in the Phoenix Suns, led by Jordan Ott.
This has led to some animated discussions online about who deserves to be Coach of the Year. The other frequently named candidate is JB Bickerstaff who has led the Detroit Pistons to the best record in the East. Some would also point to Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson.
We here are (without shame) very biased towards our team. So for the sake of discussion, I’ll ask that you carefully and reasonably-objectively consider the cases for the other coaches.
JB Bickerstaff (Pistons): This is by no means consensus, but in the preseason John Schuhmann had the Pistons power ranked 11th overall and 4th in the East. They have been the runaway leaders in the East all season long and show no signs of slowing down. They have a real identity and have really “bought in” to their coach. Cunningham has elevated into the MVP discussion and Jalen Duran got his first All Star nod.
Jordan Ott (Suns): Back to the Schuhmann rankings, you have to scroll WAY down to find the Suns at 25th overall. It made sense too, after trading away Kevin Durant and ejecting Bradley Beal. Yet somehow, some way, the Suns are 7th in the West with a .569 winning percentage. How he’s winning with this Land of Misfit Toys roster (Dillon Brooks, Grayson Allen, Jalen Green) is beyond me.
Joe Mazzulla (Celtics): I think you are familiar with his game.
So who do you think deserves coach of the year?
Another note: I’m not sure how much you put into curses, but coaches that win COTY have a weird tendency to end up out of a job shortly thereafter.
So what are your thoughts?