Ian Thomsen's Top 3 Coach of the Year Candidates:
Tom Thibodeau
Mike Brown
Gregg Popovich
A dozen candidates are worthy of votes, but Thibodeau is the runaway winner. His Bulls remained the best of the East despite the periodic unavailability of their top three wings -- Luol Deng, Richard Hamilton and 2011 MVP Derrick Rose. At the end of a season filled with drama and potential crises, Brown has renewed the Lakers as title contenders (pending the health of Bryant). Popovich, once again, was amazing in turning over his roster with young contributors around the Spurs' eternal Big Three.
http://www.nba.com/2012/news/features/d ... ef:nbahpt1
David Aldridge's Awards:
COACH OF THE YEAR
• THE WINNER: Gregg Popovich, San Antonio
RUNNER-UP: Tom Thibodeau, Chicago
THE OTHERS: Scott Brooks, Oklahoma City; Mike Brown, L.A. Lakers; Alvin Gentry, Phoenix
Brooks and Brown both had to deal with huge expectations, and delivered. Brown had the heavier lift, replacing a dude with 11 rings on his hands and pretty unchallenged status as the greatest coach of all time. There have been times when you could wonder if he really was still in charge, given the Lakers' penchant for breaking off plays and Andrew Bynum's occasional insubordination. But the Lakers have been pretty strong down the stretch, winning some big games on the road without Bryant, and look a lot like Brown's Cleveland teams. And he did win a COTY award there, as I recall.
keep up the good work mike!