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Doc Rivers +300 Favorite to Win Coach of the Year; Snyder, Stevens, Vogel Other Top Contenders

Ryan Sura

by Ryan Sura in NBA Basketball

Updated Apr 7, 2020 · 9:24 AM PDT

Doc RIvers coach of LA Clippers courtside
Can Doc Rivers pilot the Clippers to a championship berth? Photo from Wiki Commons.
  • Doc Rivers is the favorite to win COY at +300 in his seventh season with the Los Angeles Clippers
  • Mike Budenholzer won the 2018-19 COY Award, leading the Milwaukee Bucks to a 60-22 record
  • No coach has ever won the COY Award back-to-back years in the NBA

With the 2019-20 NBA regular season just a week away, Doc Rivers has been listed as the man to beat for the Coach of the Year Award.

Mike Budenholzer won the award last year with the Milwaukee Bucks, finishing first in the regular season with a 60-22 (.732%) record. Budenholzer has great odds at +2000, but no coach has ever won the award back-to-back years in the NBA.

Rivers has the best odds at +300, but he has some stiff competition nipping at his heels.

Is Rivers a runaway favorite at this point, after the Clippers landed Paul George and 2018-19 Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard this offseason?

2019-20 NBA Coach of the Year Odds

Coach Odds
Doc Rivers (LAC) +300
Quin Snyder (UTA) +600
Brad Stevens (BOS) +700
Frank Vogel (LAL) +850
Michael Malone (DEN) +1200
Mike D’Antoni (HOU) +1200
Gregg Popovich (SAS) +1400
Kenny Atkinson (BKN) +2000
Nate McMillan (IND) +2000
Luke Walton (SAC) +2000
Alvin Gentry (NOP) +2000
Mike Budenholzer (MIL) +2000
Brett Brown (PHI) +2000
Steve Kerr (GSW) +3000
Erik Spoelstra (MIA) +3000

*Odds taken 10/15/19

Be Careful With Doc

Doc Rivers is in a similar situation with the Clippers this season as he was when the Boston Celtics acquired Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen ahead of the 2007-08 NBA season to join Paul Pierce.

The Celtics would go on to win the NBA Championship that year, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. However, Byron Scott won the Coach of the Year award over Doc Rivers that year.

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The Clippers are currently listed as favorites to win the 2020 NBA Championship. The last coach to win the NBA Championship and Coach of the Year in the same season was Greg Popovich in 2013-14. Doc Rivers did not win a single Coach of the Year award as the coach of the Boston Celtics.

Rivers has won the award one time, and that was in the 1999-00 NBA season with the Orlando Magic. In that season, the Magic finished 41-41 (.500%) and did not make the playoffs. Rivers is the last coach to win Coach of the Year and not make the playoffs.

Doc’s Competition

The last six coaches to win Coach of the Year finished with a top three winning percentage in the league. Moreover, five out of the last six winners have won with a team winning percentage of .700 or better.

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Quin Snyder and the Utah Jazz could have one of the more balanced rosters in the NBA. After acquiring Mike Conley, Jeff Green, and Bojan Bogdanovic, the Jazz will be able to contend for a top three spot in the West.

Only one coach has won COY with LeBron James on their team, which does not give me a lot of confidence in picking Frank Vogel. If there is one coach that can win this award in the East, it will be Brad Stevens.

However, they have some new additions (Walker and Kanter) and subtractions (Horford and Rozier), which does not make me believe this team will gel together right away.

Don’t Sleep on Malone and Denver

It seems all too easy to pick Doc Rivers for Coach of the Year at this point, but I am still not going to do it.

This award does not necessarily go to the best team, but the team that performs the best with what they have. That is why I believe Michael Malone will win Coach of the Year.

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Malone has great value at +1200, and the Nuggets have what it takes to win the West this year. Their lineup has not changed much in the last three years and they have continued to improve, which says a lot about the team chemistry and how they play together.

Adding Jerami Grant, drafting Bol Bol, and the return of Michael Porter Jr. from a season-long injury will add some much-needed depth. Malone is a smart coach and he will be able to take this team to the next level with this lineup.

Pick: Michael Malone +1200

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