An Overview of the NBA Coach of the Year Candidates

The NBA is tough on a head coach. Long-tenure is by and far rare for those brave enough to try to succeed in the NBA. A college coach looking to make the leap to the next level are often sent packing to the NCAA within two seasons. Still the league awards one of these men with an award each year. The NBA Coach of the Year award has many worthy candidates from the 2006-07 season, but only one can win.

Jerry Sloan - Sloan has done a terrific job with the Jazz this season, turning a lottery team into a Western Conference power in just own season. Look at how much second-year point-guard Deron Williams has come into his own and how well Mehmet Okur performs in clutch moments. The Jazz are consistently one of the best-coached teams in the NBA and it is a pity Jerry Sloan has never won the Coach of the Year award. Just look at their record against the other top teams in the league (9-3) and you will realize how much Sloan deserves the award.

Don Nelson - Say what you will about Nellie's style but there is no denying the results. The Warriors have not tasted postseason glory for twelve seasons. Could Nelson make the thirteenth be the lucky year that changes the team's fortunes? The Warriors have played an up-tempo pace all season and have also seen some of their young and raw talent, like Monta Ellis, finally pan out. He may not be a big-time contender for Coach of the Year, but Don Nelson deserves credit for installing a new system that will only lead to future success.

Sam Mitchell - This is the guy I would put money on to win the Coach of the Year hardware. Mitchell has taken a bad, bad Toronto Raptors team and put them into homecourt for the playoffs. Yes the team has a legitimate superstar to run their offense through. Yes the team is in the weaker Eastern conference. But there is no denying the terrific job Mitchell has done all season long. Look at the young talent Sam has had to start. Look at the turnaround the team has had as a whole on the defensive end of the game. The Raptors may not achieve much playoff success, but they definitely have taken the proverbial next step in the NBA. And Mitchell deserves a lot of credit for it.

Avery Johnson - You never see a coach win Coach of the Year awards in consecutive seasons, but then again no coaches have the early success Avery has had either. There is no question that the once-soft Mavericks have adopted their tough coach's mentality from day one. And the record the team has is unbelievable. But, like I said, no coach has ever won Coach of the Year two years in a row. For that reason, and the fact that there are other worthy candidates, I don't see Avery repeating.

Winning in the NBA is hard and it is even harder when a coach starts with a bad team. Sam Mitchell has had a large part in turning around the Toronto Raptors and should be recognized for it with a Coach of the Year award in the upcoming months.