Here comes the mid-season, well exceeded even, and we take stock without further delay on the race for the Coach Of the Year trophy 2021-22, a race in which a man from South Beach is hitting hard. Erik Spoelstra – it’s him – will he finally get this damn trophy? We hope so and it would be a REAL reward for a man who has eluded the medal for far too long.
Stats as of January 28, 2022
#10 Steve Nash
29 wins and 19 losses, with the famous Big Three consisting of Cam Thomas, Day’Ron Sharpe and Kessler Edwards
We tend to forget it but the Nets remain well placed at the top of the Eastern Conference or almost, all without having been able to take advantage once again of its Big Three in full. James Harden has missed a few games, Kevin Durant is out for a while and Kyrie Irving plays the intermittent part of the show, suddenly Steve Nash sees himself having to try things and he’s doing quite well, frankly . Hard to understand, sometimes, some of his rotations and decisions (use of Bruce Brown for example) but overall Stevie plays the most deserving (s/o De’Andre Bembry) and gives a chance to the youngest (Kessler Edwards, Cam Thomas, Day’Ron Sharpe) for a rather very positive assessment given the circumstances and while waiting for better days. Not higher in the rankings, yet, but it was at least worth mentioning.
# 9 Tyronn Read
25 wins and 25 losses with two franchise players on the flank and empowered role players
Eric Bledsoe said of him that apart from Gregg Popovich he had never seen anything like it. The comparison is daring, it proves that Bledsoe has the NBA League Pass, but it is not so risky as Tyronn Lue is always unanimous in the locker rooms he frequents. This season ? No Kawhi Leonard, no Paul George for a while and for a while, but Allen Iverson’s doormat rewards those who deserve it, and in the end the Clippers have a good looking team of friendly desperadoes to watch. Resulting from coaching but also and above all from a philosophy that is beginning to have a foothold, so it seemed completely normal to us to pay tribute to the Clippers coach in this ranking. He will hardly do better with what he has but it’s already not bad.
#8 Chris Finch
24 wins and 24 losses, and possibly the first coach to take Wolves to the Playoffs since Coach Butler
Not Peru as the other would say, but Chris Finch is doing the job and until proven otherwise the Wolves are a credible candidate for the Western Playoffs. This simple sentence is enough to push the Minnesota coach, he who has as much flow as a tired walrus but who manages to get the best out of his group. Of its leaders, Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards in the first place, but also and above all of this rather crazy bench mob composed of Naz Reid, Malik Beasley or even Jaylen Nowell, which is progressing at high speed in support of other beautiful surprises like Jarred Vanderbilt in particular. At the head of this merry mess is a man, Chris Finch, who is scoring points this season at the helm of a group that has so far struggled to get its head above water. GG the Chrissou, and to be continued.
#7 Steve Kerr
36 wins and 13 losses and the best defense in the League, with a cavalcade of absences to manage
It doesn’t seem like that (a bit anyway) but the Warriors are on a crazy pace that only the Suns manage to follow in the NBA. A fiery attack, an iron defence, a masterfully handled roster when Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, James Wiseman and/or Klay Thompson are absent, and always this air of a relaxed guy to whom nothing seems to be able to happen as long as his genius grumblers will be there. But more than managing an audience of All-Stars, Steve Kerr surprises us this season by putting guys like Otto Porter Jr., Nemanja Bjelica or Gary Payton Jr. in the spotlight, not to mention the fact that he is therefore became a few hours ago the first human to have succeeded in transforming Andrew Wiggins into All-Star. Let it be said, as long as the name of Steve Kerr is associated with that of Golden State, he will have his place in this ranking.
#6 Taylor Jenkins
33 wins and 17 losses, and the unofficial status of coach of the most popular team in the League, while being the lookalike of Cauet
Each year placed, never winner, it will not be for this season either finally logically, but not insofar as Taylor Jenkins should not be mentioned in the race. Ja Morant explodes under his orders, Jaren Jackson Jr. has been empowered in a role of captain of defense and offensive X factor, Desmond Bane has a nice face of MIP, every week the teddy bear brings us a new crack (Zaire Williams for example ) and, above all, the Grizzlies are developing a game this year that makes this team of crazies one of the hardest to beat in the entire League. A band of no names or almost, John Konchar oh, but a band of soldiers who do the job under the rule of an increasingly respected commander in the game. Don’t look like the guy, he looks like your uncle, but at 37 the boy is already a safe bet among NBA coaches.
#5 Jason Kidd
28 wins and 21 losses, a negative flow but a real offensive AND defensive identity
We didn’t necessarily see it coming but after about fifty games we have to face the facts: Jason Kidd in Dallas is yes. Luka Doncic has managed to find a coach who understands him because he looks like him, Kristaps Porzingius has regained the desire to defend and the Mavs are above all one of the best defenses in the country, a guarantee of good health for a basketball team. he call it back. The shadow soldiers are constant in the effort, the rotations are indisputable and uncontested, and quietly the Mavs are settling more and more in the elite of the West after two seasons of failing in the Playoffs against the Clippers. Spoiler, if the trend is confirmed and Dallas was to face the Clippers again in April, the favorite this time will be Texan and Jason Kidd has something to do with it, even if the collar of his jacket is sometimes too wide.
#4 J.B. Bickerstaff
30 wins and 19 losses, on the Eastern podium with CLEVELAND eh, second best defense in the NBA and incidentally the label of best educator of young children in the League
We didn’t see it coming AT ALL. We were talking a little earlier about Tyronn Lue as a druid capable of making an average group a real love machine, JB Bickerstaff is known for his part to also be very close to his players but this season it’s a “real” coach we are talking about. A coach close to his guys does not move, but also a coach who has become capable of winning a team not necessarily expected at this level. Two huge cracks are part of his troops, it’s true, but JB is in charge and participates in making them progress, while empowering a few old and/or role players (Love, Osman, Markkanen) and having succeeded in the strange bet of the tall-lineup by associating three giraffes in its starting five. As we speak, the Cavs are on the verge of being … at the top of the Eastern Conference, and a large part of the honors must go to Jean-Baptiste and his victorious coaching. Hood?
#3 Billy Donovan
30 wins and 17 losses, efficiency on both sides of the field despite around 250 injuries to manage
On the third step of the podium? A big surprise since he was not expected at such a party either. Billy’s background at OKC was less than ideal, his CV was nothing short of glorious given the weapons he had failed to put to best use, and many even argued that Coach Donovan was the weak point of these new Bulls. Finally ? The players are doing the job, more than well even, but if Chicago is now second in the East it is also because the boss of the Taurus bench has been able to cope with the many hardships experienced since the start of the season. A member of his starting five quickly on the flank, his two best defenders also in the infirmary, a Nikola Vucevic to reintegrate into the All-Star mood and a DeMar DeRozan / Zach Lavine duo to manage is not easy and Billy is doing very well, not to mention the responsibilities rightly given to little Ayo Dosunmu, who pays him back very well. Leader of our ranking since the start of the season, GI Do is down two steps, but it’s more because of the talent of his two predecessors than the latest results of the Bulls. It remains very solid, congratulations of the jury.
#2 Monty Williams
38 wins and 9 losses, best record in the League for about two years, nothing seems to stop his team while waiting for Anthony Davis in the Playoffs
A real bumper car these Suns. For nearly two years now, the Arizona franchise has been a real monster of efficiency, and at its head Monty Williams is the perfect leader. Management of rotations, management of the developments of a few young and old (Mikal Bridges, Deandre Ayton, Cam Johnson), successful attempts with Cameron Payne or Bismack Biyombo who are still not the favorites for the next vintage of the Hall Of Fame, recent integration of Jalen Smith… we no longer count the successes of Coach Monty, unanimously recognized as a great man in the Great League, and if the presence of Chris Paul at his side and the talent of Devin Booker have a lot to do with the success of the franchise with the best record in the League, not sure it wouldn’t be if it was Luke Walton in charge. We’re going to use a lot of pretty adjectives in the next paragraph but, quite frankly, Monty has a pretty COLY 2022 face too.
#1 Erik Spoelstra
31 wins and 17 losses, leaders still as good, garbage collectors who are a hit, an oppressive defense, an incredible record despite the absences and he has never been COY yet so it’s for this year
Ding dong, the Miami Heat coach will – perhaps – finally be able to recover his “du”, namely a Coach Of the Year trophy that has eluded him since the beginning of his career on the benches of the NBA. On that of the Heat since his 27 years as assistant and head coach since 2008, Rico El Pilipino has only had two average seasons, below 50% victories, he has two rings and has already played five finals , has drawn the best from some of the best players in history… but this year he is above all capable of transforming a team of grognards into a real war machine. Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry, Bam Adebayo, Duncan Robinson and PJ Tucker have played less than ten games together, Tyler Herro explodes off the bench, the squad made up of Caleb Martin, Gabe Vincent, Max Strus and Dewayne Dedmon is maddeningly hustle and the Heat as a whole… absolutely suffocating everyone for the past few weeks. Erik Spoelstra could coach Michael Jordan or Hasheem Thabeet it would be the same thing: Erik Spoelstra wins, everywhere, all the time, with everyone, and to see him win the COY trophy this season would almost be a relief for everyone. .
