Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson is among the favorites to win NBA Coach of the Year honors, but one former NBA All-Star thinks he should not be one of the leading contenders.
In an appearance on ESPN’s “First Take” Monday, two-time All-Star Carlos Boozer downplayed how much credit Atkinson deserves for the Cavaliers’ success. Boozer suggested Ime Udoka should be Coach of the Year for his work with the Houston Rockets because Atkinson inherited a roster that was already primed for success.
“Ime Udoka is the Coach of the Year and nobody’s talking about that. Everybody wants to talk about Cleveland. (Atkinson) was gifted a team that already had All-Stars on it,” Boozer said. “I would say (JB) Bickerstaff in Detroit, because nobody expected Detroit to be in the top seven, top eight in the Eastern Conference. But the Houston Rockets started from scratch.”
Boozer is underselling the job Atkinson has done. The Cavaliers had a similar roster last season, but went 48-34 under Bickerstaff and lost in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. They have already won 57 games this season under Atkinson with 11 games to play, and have seen improvements across the board.
The Rockets went 41-41 last season, but have improved to 46-26 with an improving young team. Udoka’s guidance, and perhaps his motivational tactics, deserve some credit for that, but the case is not as clear as Boozer makes it sound.
Boozer actually started his NBA career with Cleveland, so he is not exactly showing a lot of love to his former franchise. Regardless, the Cavs appear to be on their way to the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, a fact that speaks for itself.
