The Cleveland Cavaliers have been either the best or the second-best team in the league for most of the season.
As such, it only makes sense that they have several candidates for multiple major awards.
Of course, that includes Coach of the Year.
Kenny Atkinson hasn’t needed much time to turn this franchise around, and he should be either at the top of the list or pretty close to it.
However, when asked about that, the former Brooklyn Nets head coach was completely unfazed, and he believes his success is a byproduct of his roster (via Evan Dammarell):
“It’s not important. I’d rather get to the Conference Finals. Coach of the Year is product of roster construction and talent,” he said.
“It’s not important. I’d rather get to the Conference Finals. Coach of the Year is product of roster construction and talent.”#Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson on winning Coach of the Year.
— Evan Dammarell (@AmNotEvan) March 30, 2025
Granted, it’s not like he was going to say anything different than that, but still, he has a valid point.
Winning Coach of the Year will be rather empty and meaningless if it doesn’t come with a deep postseason trip.
The Cavs have found plenty of success against most teams in the league this season, and that includes the defending NBA champions.
They’ve split their regular-season series, and even the losses have been close.
Barring a string of injuries or a shocking upset in the first two rounds, there’s no reason to believe the Cavaliers can’t reach the Eastern Conference Finals this season.
There, having homecourt advantage would be huge in a potential matchup with the Boston Celtics.
At the end of the day, they’re playing for the ultimate prize, and while individual distinctions are nice and all, no one remembers who won Coach of the Year, but everybody remembers how many rings that coach won.
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