NBA Coach of the Year race The cases for four of t

Every year around this time, NBA media types get theawards ballot Emmitt Smith T Shirts in their inboxes. Voting for awards like MVP and Rookie of the Yearis an inexact science, but there are certainguidelines to follow that can limit the pool of players and ultimately decide a winner.When it comes toCoach of the Year, however, the reasoning behind voting for a particular candidate can bemurky.OFFSEASON PREVIEWS: | | There is obvious value ina coach that leads ateam to the top seed in theconference. There is also the coach that takes his team toanother level from the year before. And there is thecoach thatgets the most out of a roster with limited talent. These factors make the 2018-19 Coach of the Yearrace intriguing and unpredictable.A few NBA coaches have a case this season, but weve whittled it down to a final four. Lets take a look at the argument for each coachwinning the award.Mike Budenholzer, BucksCoach of the Year case: Budenholzer is no stranger to the award. He was the Coach of the Year in 2014-15 after leading the Hawks to the top seed in the East with a 60-22 overall record, but this might be his best coaching job yet.After a first-round exit at the hands of the Celtics in the 2018 playoffs, the Bucks decided Budenholzer was the right man to develop Giannis Antetokounmpo and push them to the next level. No one knew just how good this Bucks team could be, or what Antetokounmpocould do with a proper roster and strategy built around his game. Budenholzerhasnt disappointed.Milwaukee'soffense has transformed under Budenholzer. Surrounding Giannis with shooters like Brook Lopez, Malcolm Brogdon, and Khris Middleton has allowed him to thrive and develop into a po sible MVP. The Bucks are the after finishing 10thlast season. They take the second-most 3-pointers in the league (up from 25th in 2017-18), and theyre top three in both field goal percentage and effective field goal percentage.MORE: Defensively, they have improved by leaps and bounds as well. Under Jason Kidd and Joe Prunty in 2017-18, the Deion Sanders Jersey Bucks were . They currently sit at the top of the league in that category (104.5). They are much le s aggre sive on the perimeter and prioritize protecting the paint. That has led to a boost in rebounding Milwaukee went from dead last in defensive rebounding percentage last season (70.9) to second this year (75.4).Its not always easy to judge a coachs impact, butwhat Budenholzer has done for the Bucks cannot be overstated. Hes beenMilwaukees best offseason acquisition. He took a team with potential and turned itinto a title contender with the best record in the league. He certainly is deserving of his second Coach of the Year award.Doc Rivers,ClippersCoach of the Year case: Vegas had the Clippers'over/under win total at 35.5. They are currently at 47 wins with four games left Emmitt Smith Jersey on their schedule. Proving the doubters wrong is often a tired cliche in sports, but that's exactly what Los Angeles has done.The Clippers were only supposed to be rebuilding after the "Lob City" era and chasing free agents this summer. Competing in the stacked Western Conference seemed delusional. Sure, the roster had competent role players, but hardly anything approaching star status. (Theone potential star the Clippers did have, Tobias Harris, was traded to the 76ers ahead of the February deadline.)And yet, here we are. The Clippers have a shot at 50 wins. They hold the sixth seed in the West, and theyve become the best team in LA. Rivers, rightly so, is getting plenty of praise.This is the start. x - LA Clippers (@LAClippers) MORE: Not long ago, Rivers time in LA seemed to be coming to an end. Hisrole as president of basketball operations and head coach didnt go as plannedwith a few roster-building misfires. But with the burden of personnel decisions no longer on his shoulders, Rivers has rediscovered his magic touch. Hes taken a team without a superstar andfound a way to maximize this roster.Danilo Gallinari is enjoying a career year now that he is finally healthy. Lou Williams is going to win his third Sixth Man of the Year award. Montrezl Harrell has been a revelation, and rookie Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has thrived under the tutelage of the former point guard.To put it simply, Rivers has been masterful. Hes created a culture that preaches family and togetherne s. If youve spent any time around the locker room, you know how much Rivers team loves him. Therespect and trustin Rivershas resulted in a playoff berth and maybe Rivers second COY trophy.Mike Malone, NuggetsCoach of the Year case:The Nuggets have morphed into one of the best teams in the West under Malone. They likely won't take the top seed in the conferenceafter losing to the Warriors on Tuesday night, but the fact that they were even in that position is its own accomplishment.The Nuggets have officially made "the leap."Theyve NFL Dallas Cowboys Jersey easily surpa sed last seasons win total, and Malone has overseen the impre sive development of All-Star center Nikola Jokic. Malone has also been a major factor in the development of young guards like Jamal Murray, Monte Morris and Malik Beasley.The most obvious improvement has been on the defensive side of the court. Last year, the Nuggets struggled to stop anyone. They finished23rd in defensive efficiency, just behind the lowly Knicks.MORE: While the Nuggets arent going to blow anyone away with their defensive prowe s, Malone has been able to make them respectable.Theyre currently a top-10 teamin terms of defensive efficiency, and Jokic in particular has made strides on that end. Denver has also jumped from the last season all the way .Malones job hasnt been easy. Denver has been bit by the injury bug throughout the season. Paul Millsap, Gary Harris and Will Barton have all mi sed significant time with injuries. Malone has been able to keep winning while waiting for his roster to get healthy.Denver could enter the postseason with a better record than every West team except the mighty Warriors. Malone deserves credit here.Nate McMillan, PacersCoach of the Year case: When Victor Oladipo was lost for the season in late January, the Pacers became an afterthought in the East. Without the services of their lone All-Star, Indiana was expected to slide down in the standings.Somehow, McMillan and Co. have been able to collect enough wins to have a fighting chance at home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The Pacers share an identical record with the Celtics (46-32)in the fight for the fourth seed.Theyve done it with a starting lineup consisting of good-but-not-greatplayers. Micah Parsons Jersey Myles Turner, Darren Collison, Bojan Bogdanovic and Thaddeus Young aren't stars, but they are typically reliable with effort and production. Domantas Sabonis