Steve Kerr Believes Mike D’Antoni Has ‘Earned’ Coach Of The Year Honors

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Steve Kerr is the reigning NBA Coach of the Year and for good reason after leading the Golden State Warriors to a league-best 73 wins last season. This season Kerr is a legitimate candidate for the regular-season award once again, but he feels as if someone else might deserve the distinction this time around.

Kerr seems to believe Mike D’Antoni is deserving of Coach of the Year honors this season. The work D’Antoni has done with the Houston Rockets in one season has been impressive enough for Kerr to admit the Rockets head coach has earned the award, via ESPN:

“I think the fit with the roster and Mike’s philosophy has been perfect,” Kerr said Tuesday night. “What he’s so good at is really giving his players confidence and belief. They’re obviously having an amazing year. My guess is that he’ll get the trophy. He’s earned it.”

D’Antoni has bounced around the NBA quite a bit since he won Coach of the Year back in 2005 with the Phoenix Suns. The 65-year-old went from a successful run with the Suns to consecutive disappointing stints with the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers which both resulted in his resignation.

Fortunately for D’Antoni, the Rockets brass were willing to take a chance on the veteran coach, and it has worked out beautifully. D’Antoni’s system has flourished in Houston with superstar James Harden becoming arguably the favorite to win NBA MVP while leading the Rockets to a 51-23 record while currently sitting in the third seed in the Western Conference.

The Rockets have gone from a team with no direction to a legitimate title contender in the West and an offense that rivals Kerr’s Warriors. D’Antoni winning NBA Coach of the Year for the second time may be inevitable with the Rockets still firing on all cylinders and no other candidate making such an impact this season.