Well Hello Mike Budenholzer! Glad You Made it! NBA Coach of the Year Odds
By: James Tillman III
Welcome back to another Friday ladies and gentlemen. The names that once dominated the discussion for the league’s top coach included Brad Stevens, Erik Spoelstra, and Nick Nurse. But last week, we had a bit of shakeup on that list. With that in mind, could a new name emerge in the race for the Coach of the Year award? Here’s a look at the updated odds for the top coaches based upon how their teams
Coach of the Year 2020 Odds
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The Third-Best NBA Coach of the Year Odds: Mike Budenholzer (+600) (Out of Top Three Last Week)
Let’s tip our hats to Mike Budenholzer, who is making his first appearance on the list this season. Over the past week, the Bucks had just two games on their weekly slate – a road game against the Charlotte Hornets and a home game against the Washington Wizards. As one would expect, Milwaukee won both of those games, defeating the Hornets 116-103 while knocking off the Wizards 151-131. Thanks to another solid week, the Bucks have won nine straight and they own the best record in the league at 41-6.
Did I also mention that the Bucks are ranked second and first in total defense and offense? For the second straight year, Budenholzer has this team clicking on all cylinders. The only question is now the Budenholzer is in the hunt, will he continue to move up the list as the season progresses?
The Second-Best NBA Coach of the Year Odds: Frank Vogel (+350 — Last Week’s Odds: +500)
Due to the recent death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others who were taken away from us in a tragic helicopter accident last week, the Lakers had just one game on their slate over the past week. In that contest, LeBron James surpassed Bryant for third place on this list of the league’s all-time leading scorers. In that lone game on their schedule, the Lakers were defeated by the Philadelphia 76ers 108-91.
Despite their recent setback, the Lakers still have the second-best record in the Western Conference, and they are just one win away from tying their total victory total from last season. In other words, the organization made a good choice when they selected Frank Vogel to take over the head coaching seat.
The Best NBA Coach of the Year Odds: Nick Nurse (+350 — No Change from Last Week)
For the second straight week, the Toronto Raptors had four games on their weekly slate. And for the second consecutive week, they posted wins in each of those four outings. True, the level of competition wasn’t exactly elite. In fact, three of the four teams they played against – the Knicks, Cavaliers, and Hawks – only have 13 wins apiece on their resumes this season. On the other hand, you must beat the bad teams too though, right?
As a result of another superb week, the Raptors have also won nine straight games. They are holding opponents to 42.9 percent shooting – the lowest conversion rate in the NBA. The Raptors also have the second-best defensive rating in the league, which has catapulted them to the second-best record in the Eastern Conference at 34-14. Many of us didn’t expect Toronto to be this good following the departures of Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green, but here they are. If this team can continue to play at this level for the duration of the season, Nurse would have to be the odds-on favorite to win the COTY award.
