Atlanta's Mike Budenholzer voted NBA coach of the year
ATLANTA (AP) — After leading the Atlanta Hawks to the top seed in the Eastern Conference coming off tumultuous summer, Mike Budenholzer beat out Golden State's Steve Kerr for NBA coach of the year today.
Budenholzer, in his second year as a head coach, was honored after the Hawks went 60-22 during the regular season, the best mark in franchise history. They won their first division title since 1994, which also was the last time they held a No. 1 seed.
"He deserves it," said Jeff Teague, the Hawks' All-Star point guard. "He's made me a better player. He's made our team better. I'm glad to have him as my head coach."
Budenholzer received 67 first-place votes and 513 points overall in national balloting by sports writers and broadcasters. Kerr, who guided the Warriors to an NBA-best 67-15 record in his first season as coach, received 56 first-place votes and 471 points.
A longtime assistant under San Antonio's Gregg Popovich, Budenholzer went 38-44 with the Hawks during an injury-plagued debut year. But the Hawks surged to the top of the East in his second season, giving Atlanta its first coach of the year since Lenny Wilkins 21 years ago.