Tag: nba coach of the year

Three Sports Illustrated analysts predict Celtics’ Ime Udoka for 2021-22 Coach of the Year

The first-year coach got love from the folks at SI.

Depending on how you look at things, first-year Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka is either set up for an epic success, or at risk for a big letdown given the expectations baked into helming a team with two established All-Stars and designs on deep postseason runs.

So far, however, it has mostly been glass half-full, both here at the Celtics Wire and among our peers at Sports Illustrated, who seem to be pretty optimistic about the Portland native’s ability to succeed in his new role. In their recent 2021-22 NBA season predictions article, a panel of eight SI writers weighed in on a number of topics, three of the panelists picked Udoka for this season’s Coach of the Year.

No other coach received more notes, so let’s dive into why that trio feels the former Brooklyn Nets assistant will make the leap successfully (and then some) with Boston.

Boston’s Ime Udoka rated 3rd most likely to win Coach of the Year by ESPN panel

The new Celtics coach is seen favorably by a panel of experts.

New Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka is seen as likely to finish his inaugural season in his new role among the very best in the league in some corners, with a panel of ESPN experts picking the Portland native in the top three coaches likely to win the NBA’s coveted 2021-22 Coach of Year award.

Udoka finished third overall in the voting with 16% of first-place votes and 16 points overall, trailing coaches Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat (23 points and 5.6% of the first-place votes) and Steve Nash of the Brooklyn Nets (22 points and 22.2% of the first-place votes), ahead of Quin Snyder, coach of the Utah Jazz (14 points and 5.6% of first-place votes).

With a revamped roster and a front office signaling both willingness to spend if success warrants and about as solid of a record as a first-time head coach can have on ascending to the position, Udoka has a real puncher’s chance to land the award if everything breaks Boston’s way this season.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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WATCH: How can Ime Udoka win Coach of the Year in his debut for the Boston Celtics?

The new Boston coach has the odds against him, but that doesn’t mean he is without the tools he needs to win it.

Primed with two bona fide NBA All-Star wings, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, and an up-and-coming big man who gives opposing teams fits on both ends of the ball, Robert Williams III, and any number of supporting cast members who could realistically have a breakout season, new Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka is poised for a blockbuster debut.

Even so, he is somehow ranked 12th in the league for 2021-22 Coach of the Year odds. What does the new Boston head coach need to do to get in the running as a serious contender for that particular piece of league hardware?

Join the hosts of the CLNS Media “A-List” podcast Kwani A. Lunis and A. Sherrod Blakely as they break down what Udoka would need to do to win the next league Coach of the Year award.

Watch the video embedded above to get their take on that particular race and the Portland native’s chances of winning it.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!

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How many of Boston’s coaches have been named Coach of the Year – and who were they?

Can you name the trio of Celtics coaches who won the award? Even better — can you name the seasons they won it in?

The Boston Celtics have a storied history of NBA championships with plenty of other hardware to go with it, and when it comes to Coach of the Year, their legacy is literally written on the award — more on that shortly.

Over the course of their seven-decade history in the league and its origins in the Basketball Association of America that came before it, the club has garnered three such honors as that annually offered to the best head coach in the NBA as seen such by the media in charge of voting. Most Celtics fans can easily name one of the three, and stalwarts two or even three former Boston coaches so honored.

But can you also name the seasons in which each was so honored? Make your best guess, and then scroll down to see how you did.

The case for Billy Donovan as NBA Coach of the Year

After being projected to win just 31.5 games in 2019-20, the Thunder owns a record of 40-24, and has the NBA’s 9th best winning percentage.

It’s been ten years since the Oklahoma City Thunder last had an NBA Coach of the Year.

Scott Brooks took home the honor following the 2009-10 season after guiding the Thunder to a 50-32 overall record and their first appearance in the postseason since 2004-05. The 50 victories that year were an improvement by 27 wins from the previous season when OKC went just 23-59.

After trading away both Russell Westbrook and Paul George during the offseason, the Thunder were projected to win just 31.5 games coming into 2019-20, a figure they blew past at the beginning of February.

With 18 games left on the schedule prior to the league-wide suspension, Oklahoma City was sitting at 40-24, in fifth place in the Western Conference, with a chance to finish with a better record than last year’s team.

It’s because of the Thunder’s unexpected success that Nick Crain of Forbes believes that if the season ended today, head coach Billy Donovan should be in the running for Coach of the Year.

So far, the 2019-20 Thunder under Billy Donovan has a better win percentage than that 50-win team under Brooks and have the 9th best win percentage in NBA. Donovan has done an exceptional job staggering the three outstanding point guards on the Oklahoma City roster, ensuring there is always at least one quality ball handler and scorer on the floor at all times. He has gotten the most out of every player on the roster, getting great production from every individual member of the team.

One of the players that has exemplified sacrificing for the greater good of the team has been Dennis Schroder.

Schroder is good enough to start elsewhere in the league, but has accepted his role as the sixth man off the bench this season in Oklahoma City. In Donovan’s three-guard rotation, Schroder has thrived: averaging over 19 points per game and career-highs in field goal and 3-point percentage.

Many believe that Schroder will be in the conversation for Sixth Man of the Year, with writers from Sports Illustrated already casting their votes for the Thunder guard if the season ended today.