The Cleveland Cavaliers are turning heads this season, and much of the credit goes to their newly crowned Coach of the Year, Kenny Atkinson. Last season, under the guidance of J.B. Bickerstaff, the Cavaliers were no slouches—they managed to secure fourth place in the conference, capturing 48 wins and advancing to the second round of the playoffs before being ousted by the championship-bound Boston Celtics.
However, the Cavaliers' management yearned for more. So, they shook things up. Bickerstaff found himself out, and Atkinson assumed the helm. With the same squad on the floor, Atkinson's Cavaliers roared into the season with an electrifying 15-0 start, a finish marked by an impressive 64 wins—second only to the franchise's all-time record. They clinched the top seed in the East with a commanding +9.5 net rating.
This remarkable turnaround was officially recognized on Monday, as the NBA announced Atkinson as the Coach of the Year. He earned 59 first-place votes from an international panel of 100 media members and secured an additional 33 second-place nods.
In a twist of fate, Bickerstaff himself found a silver lining after his tenure with the Cavaliers ended. He took charge of the Detroit Pistons, dragging them from the doldrums of the league's worst record in successive seasons to an admirable 44-win campaign, landing sixth in the East and stretching the New York Knicks to six games in their opening playoff series. His efforts did not go unnoticed, earning him second place in the Coach of the Year votes with 31 first-place and 44 second-place votes.
Elsewhere, Ime Udoka of the Rockets claimed third in the voting, while Mark Daigneault from the Thunder secured fourth with two first-place votes. The Clippers' Tyronn Lue rounded out the top five with a solitary first-place vote.
