New Orleans' Byron Scott
This season, Byron Scott has coached the New Orleans Hornets to a 56-26 record, the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference play-offs and the Hornets' first conference championship in the team's 20-year history.
His experience and skill as a player with three championship rings under the Lakers in the 1980s is evident in the players he has coached this season.
Scott is most deserving of the Coach of the Year award.
Contact Marc Gauthier at Marc.Gauthier@UConn.edu.
Houston's Rick Adelman
You look at the Houston Rockets roster and you can see there isn't much to work with.
However Rick Adelman has guided a Yao-less Rockets' team to an unbelievable 55-27 record in the hardest division in basketball, which is inside, arguably, the hardest conference the league has ever seen.
With that being said, a coach that can get these athletes to win 22 consecutive games is without a doubt, the coach of the year.
Contact Jake Goldberg at Jacob.Goldberg@UConn.edu.
Marc Gauthier: Byron Scott is the top candidate for Coach of the Year. His coaching skills have brought the New Orleans Hornets atop the leader boards in not only the Western Conference but in the entire NBA.
Jake Goldberg: Rick Adelman has Dikembe Mutombo starting for him at center, and the Rockets still have a winning record. They won 22 straight at one point this season, the second longest winning streak ever, and part of it came without their best player, Yao Ming. Now that's a Coach of the Year.
Marc: The 22 wins in a row is a fairly impressive stat, but Scott coached a team who didn't lose more than three games in a row. The Rockets have had a three-game losing streak as well as a six-game losing streak.
Jake: The Rockets also boast players like Chuck Hayes, Mike Harris, Dikembe Mutombo and Carl Landry. All play significant minutes and contribute. This is because the system Adelman has in place - a defensively sound system that has made this roster play great. Bryon has Chris Paul, David West and Tyson Chandler
Marc: Yeah but you have to remember that nobody really thought West and Chandler were going to be as good as they were this year. If I told you West was going to be an All-Star, you probably wouldn't have believed me. You can thank Scott for transforming those players into who they were this year.
Jake: I don't know, with a floor general like Chris Paul out there running the show, it's like having another coach on the team. I think Paul has a lot to do with the success of the team. Whereas Adelman went stretches without T-Mac and Yao, and still won. They were 18-7 without Yao and 9-7 without T-Mac.
Marc: Where does Paul get those leadership skills? Byron Scott. What you might not know is he was a significant player on the Lakers when they won three championships in 1985, 1987 and 1988. There's no doubt he passed on his experiences to Paul, just like a great coach should for all his players.
Jake: While Scott has no doubt passed some of his skills on to Chris Paul, what you might not know is that way back on Adelman played as well. From 1968-1975 Adelman graced the floor for a couple different NBA teams. From 1977 on he has been coaching, and I think that might play into the way the Rockets have stifled offenses to 92 points per game and earned the fifth seed in the West.
Marc: Scott and the Hornets allow only 95 points a game, good enough to earn them the second seed in the West, but you have to remember, this season follows the 39-43 record the Hornets posted last year, not to mention that this is the first conference championship in the Hornets' 20-year history.
Jake: Impressive as that is, Adelman has brought a completely depleted team in Houston that plays in the toughest division in basketball to a fifth seed. The system that he brings to his team has made Rafer Alston into a stud, rookie Luis Scola into a very good power forward and T-Mac into a team player. T-Mac, a team player?
Marc: I certainly never thought T-Mac could be a team player, but you have to remember, the Rockets weren't playing with Yao - one of the most dominant big men in the league- for over half the season. Scott had the Hornets in first place in what you called the toughest division in basketball. Scott's coaching skills will have the Hornets making some noise in the Western Conference play offs.
Jake: The Rockets have gone 18-7 without Yao, which is almost as impressive as the 22- game win-streak. Adelman has put this team into a mode where they think they can beat any team in the league on any given night. The Rockets are the second best defensive team in the NBA and have the scoring to win in the playoffs, all thanks to the Coach of the Year, Rick Adelman.
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