The 30 head coaches of the league have already chosen their own coach of the year before the official NBA awards are presented. The honor is due to Dwane Casey of the Toronto Raptors, while Brad Stevens surprisingly goes completely blank.
The National Basketball Coaches Association conducted a survey among the 30 current head coaches of the league in order to present an “own” coach of the year. Dwane Casey of the Toronto Raptors was voted most often after finishing first in the Eastern Conference Regular Season with his team.
Eight coaches got votes – besides Casey they were Mike D’Antoni, Nate McMillan, Gregg Popovich, Doc Rivers, Quin Snyder, Terry Stotts and Brett Brown.
The fact that Brad Stevens received no vote at all from the Boston Celtics caused great surprise: Many stars of the league expressed their displeasure about it on Twitter. Isaiah Thomas, for example, wrote that Stevens was the best coach in the league.
When asked about this, Stevens said at the press conference before Game 5 against the Sixers: “The one who deserves it has also won the prize. “I also think it’s more important to focus on your work and your team than comparing yourself with others.”