Kenny Atkinson has been named the NBA’s Coach of the Year, the league announced on Monday (Twitter link).
In his first year with the Cavaliers, Atkinson led the franchise to a 64-18 record and the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Atkinson was hired by Cleveland after a three-year stint as one of Steve Kerr‘s top assistants with Golden State. Atkinson, who was also an assistant with three other NBA franchises, was Brooklyn’s head coach from 2016-20.
The Pistons‘ J.B. Bickerstaff and the Rockets’ Ime Udoka were the other finalists. Atkinson received 59 of the 100 first-place votes from the global media panel and accumulated 401 points in the voting. Bickerstaff earned 31 first-place votes and 305 points to finish second, while Udoka had seven first-place votes and 113 points.
After getting fired by the Cavs at the end of last season, Bickerstaff resurfaced in Detroit, where he led the Pistons to a stunning turnaround. Under Bickerstaff’s guidance, the Pistons improved from a franchise-worst 14 victories to 44 victories and a berth in the playoffs.
The Rockets finished second in the Western Conference with a 52-30 record, an 11-game improvement over their 2023/24 campaign.
Atkinson is the first Cavaliers coach to win the award since Mike Brown earned that distinction in 2009.
Outside of the finalists, only three other head coaches – Mark Daigneault (Thunder), Tyronn Lue (Clippers), and JJ Redick (Lakers) – showed up on Coach of the Year ballots, with Daigneault and Lue earning the remaining first-place votes. The full results can be found here.
Ehh, ok.
Yeah. I don’t see how you turn the laughingstock of the NBA into a playoff team in one year and not win COTY. Load of BS.
Laughing stock of the NBA? They have been to the playoffs the past 3 years. That hardly makes them a Laughing stock.
he’s referring to the Pistons.
Only team to triple their win total from previous year in history in a full season. JB got hosed.
Wow I thought Kenny Atkinson was someone different this whole time…
Can the cavs beat the celtics? It will be a shame to win coach of the year but the team you’re coaching fails to advance to the NBA Finals.
Can’t see a need they playing each other…
ECF CLE v NYK
WCF DEN v MIN
Either way you right I can’t see CLE beating BOS or NYK, right?
Can the Cavs beat the Pacers?
Looks like a toss up to me.
Already down 0-2
It’s weird how MIP tends to go to players below an All-Star level/the biggest surprises (see the Cade snub this year) but COTY tends to be the opposite with the number of wins factoring in heavily. Not at all logically consistent.
Good choice, voters actually tend to get this award right more often than not. KA taking CLE from the level they had settled into the last few years to the level they played at this year, without any changes in their core group, was easily the most impressive coaching accomplishment of this season.
Congratulations Kenny …. 👏👏
Who voted for JJ Podcaster Reddick? Did his mom steal a ballot?
In today’s NBA… owner will fire him next season.
What a complete joke. Guy took over a team that had home-court advantage the last two years.
Wish it was Steve Kerr for reasons you all know.
🫡
Haha !!
Kerr coached his assets off last night that’s for sure.