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NBA 2014-15 Mid-Season Award Winners

By Nicholas Hughes

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Dec 13, 2014; Orlando, FL, USA; Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer huddles up with teammates against the Orlando Magic during the second half at Amway Center. Orlando Magic defeated the Atlanta Hawks 100-99. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Coach of the Year: Mike Budenholzer (Atlanta Hawks)

Needless to say, that the Atlanta Hawks have been an enormous surprise this year in the NBA. They’re the 6th ranked team in the NBA offensively, and defensively they’re 3rd (per Basketball Reference). They’ve already well surpassed their win total from last season, amidst a franchise-best 19 game win-streak. They have three players who are New York bound for the All-Star Game, and Coach Mike Budenholzer stands at the heart of that as he’ll be coaching the Eastern Conference squad in the big game on February 15th.

Budenholzer is a protege of long time San Antonio Spurs Coach, Gregg Poppovich, who just last year won the Coach of the Year Award and an NBA title. How fitting would it be if in just his second year as an NBA Head Coach (last year with the Hawks was his first) he comes away with at least the Coach of the Year nod.

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    • He’s made a great case for himself, bringing the franchise to the NBA’s best record following a very tumultuous year for the organization as a whole. The 2013-2014 season resulted in a sub-.500 regular season finish (which was still good enough for an 8th seed in the struggling East) and a first round playoff loss via the top seeded Indiana Pacers.

    The offseason that followed only worsened things for the Hawks as owner, Bruce Levenson and GM Danny Ferry were both involved in separate scandals surrounding racist remarks. As a result of that, the team was sold to a new ownership group known as Atlanta Spirit.

    Budenholzer’s on-court success has directly resulted in restoring the respect and fan support of the organization as a whole. The team he coaches is playing as a well-oiled machine on a nightly basis, and are very exciting to watch which is drawing fans of the game back to the Phillips Arena in Atlanta.

    Runner Up: Steve Kerr (Golden State Warriors)

    For fans of the Golden State Warriors, I do apologize because without a doubt the things that Steve Kerr has been able to do with this team on both sides of the ball have been truly unbelievable. The team has the highest rated defensive in the league while still maintaining the 4th best offense.

    The only reasons Budenholzer wins out over Kerr are the social ramifications of the Hawks doing well after what was truly a horrendous few months for the organization publicity-wise, and because of the star power that Kerr inherited with the Golden State Warriors and the players’ strong individual production (three of his players are featured later on in this article, as either winners or runner-ups for various awards).

    Next: 6th Man of the Year

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