Coach of year honor eludesKerr
Warriors coach says he’s glad Atlanta’s Budenholzer won
OAKLAND — Warriors first- year coach Steve Kerr finished second in the NBA Coach of the Year voting announced Tuesday, and was happy the award went to Atlanta’s Mike Budenholzer.
“You probably won’t believe me when I say this: I’m actually really glad Mike won, and I mean that,” Kerr said. “For him, personally because he’s a great friend of mine and I think he’s done an incredible job.
“He’s been doing this for 20 years. I just got into this gig. It would have felt really weird to win that award when this team has had so much success and was already really good last year, before I got here.”
Budenholzer, who led the Hawks to a franchiserecord and Eastern Conferencebest 60- 22 mark, received 67 of a possible 130 first- place votes and 513 total points in a balloting of nationwide media. Kerr picked up 56 firstplace votes and totaled 471 points.
Former Cal star and Milwaukee Bucks coach Jason Kidd was a distant third with one first- place vote and 57 total points.
Warriors forward Draymond Green said he was “a
NBA COACH OFTHE YEAR VOTING
Selected by a panel of 130 sportswriters and broadcasters from the United States and Canada. Voting is on a 5- 3- 1 basis.
Coach
Mike Budenholzer, Atl
Steve Kerr, GS
Jason Kidd, Mil
Brad Stevens, Bos
Gregg Popovich, SA
Kevin McHale, Hou
TomThibodeau, Chi
Quin Snyder, Utah
David Blatt, Cle
Doc Rivers, LAC
Terry Stotts, Por
Rick Carlisle, Dal
Dwane Casey, Tor
Jeff Hornacek, Pho
Monty Williams, NO little upset” by the outcome, but agreed that Budenholzer was deserving.
“It’s not like it’s a huge conspiracy Coach didn’t win, but I thought he should have won,” Green said. “This being his first
1st
2nd
3rd
Total season, you’re talking about a completely new system. For him to impose his will on this team like he did and for us to win 67 games and win the Western Conference by 11 games, I thought he had a strong case.”
Kerr said he planned to call Budenholzer to congratulate him, and would lose no sleep over the result.
“Our team has gotten so much recognition. I’ve gotten way too much credit. I didn’t need anymore,” he said.
Kerr has known Budenholzer since his playing days at the University of Arizona, where he said Budenholzer would travel from his home in northern Arizona to work as a counselor at coach Lute Olson’s camp. Then he was hired on as a video coordinator for Gregg Popovich at San Antonio.
“He literally worked his way from the ground up,” Kerr said.
The common thread is Popovich, whose coaching tree also produced Pelicans coach Monty Williams.
Kerr played at San Antonio for Popovich when Budenholzer was an assistant coach.
“I learned a lot from him as a player,” said Kerr, who continues to borrow from Budenholzer.
“In fact, I stole a play from the Hawks this year that we ran against them. And it worked in front of their bench,” Kerr said, laughing. “I watched the tape and saw Mike’s reaction. That was awesome — that was your play.”