In any other season, the coach of one of the NBA's elite teams would be the frontrunner for Coach of the Year honors. But this season is a little different as some of the surprising teams in the league have coaches who can lay claim to the award.
Utah's Jerry Sloan, Denver's Jeff Bzdelik, Miami's Stan Van Gundy, Milwaukee's Terry Porter, and Memphis' Hubie Brown all have their respective teams in the playoff hunt at this late point in the season. In October, many of these teams had been predicted to be the cellar-dwellers of the NBA. But with new player acquisitions, strong coaching and team chemistry, all of these coaches deserve praise and accolades for their work.
Denver and Utah are currently fighting for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Normally, that's not news. What is news is that these two teams are also trying to avoid being the last place team in the Midwest Division. As of this writing, all of the teams in the Midwest Division could qualify for homecourt advantage in the first round in the Eastern Conference.
Sloan suffered the loss of quite possibly the top tandem in NBA history of John Stockton (retirement) and Karl Malone (free agency) this summer and has led his depleted squad a possible playoff berth. In Denver, Bzdelik was given one of the league's most exciting rookies in Carmelo Anthony and a squad of scrappy role players and has guided them from the worst record in the league last season (17-65) to a possible playoff spot.
The Eastern Conference has been anything except routine with a number of coaching changes throughout. In the last 15 months, EVERY team in the Eastern Conference has changed coaches at least once.
Van Gundy was named head coach of the Heat less than a week before the start of the regular season and has pushed his young, exciting squad into a race for homecourt advantage in the first round. In his rookie coaching season, Van Gundy's defense-first style of coaching has Miami in the top ten for opponent's points-per-game allowed.
First-year coach Terry Porter took over the reins in Milwaukee. His team was predicted to be one of the worst in the league with a number of new, untested players and a rookie point guard in T.J. Ford. With less than two weeks remaining, Porter has the Bucks at just under .500, and in the weak Eastern Conference that record has the Bucks contending for homecourt advantage.
Although all these coaches have made significant strides with almost no expectations of success, there is one coach that has risen above them all and taken his team to the best record in franchise history -- Hubie Brown.
The Grizzlies are currently in the fifth spot in the Western Conference and have a legitimate chance at passing San Antonio should the Spurs hit a slump. The roster isn't filled with superstars, but rather with hard working players who follow the system that Brown has implemented. What's noticeably different about the Grizzlies this season is their focus and determination.
In a number of games this year the Grizzlies simply could have let a game go and chalk up the loss. In seasons past, accepting the loss looked to be status quo for this unsuccessful franchise. But Brown has bred a team that believes in themselves and is getting it done on the court.
Of course some consideration for the award should be given to the Pacers' Rick Carlisle, the Spurs' Gregg Popovich and the Timberwolves' Flip Saunders, but winning records are expected from these coaches. So Brown remains the frontrunner for the honor.
Brown's success with Memphis has continued the recent trend of senior citizen coaches leading their teams to new heights (Dick Vermeil with the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs and Jack McKeon with baseball's Florida Marlins). According to the Grizzlies' players, it is Brown's knowledge and love of basketball that has allowed them to accept their roles and play for what is best for the franchise.
Brown's coaching ability and the Grizzlies rise in the Western Conference have created what should be a close vote for the NBA's Coach of the Year award.
