2016-17 NBA Coach of the Year Odds

2016-17 NBA Coach of the Year Odds

Though the NBA regular season begins in exactly three weeks, there are still new prop bets appearing across the marketplace. Throughout the offseason Paddy Power released several props and futures, including Divisional, Playoff, and MVP odds. Recently, the Irish sportsbook released Coach of the Year odds.

Golden State’s Steve Kerr (+300), last year’s winner, is currently the favorite to take home the award again. If Kerr repeats, it will be the first time in NBA history that an NBA coach won the award two straight years. Hall of Famer Larry Brown won Coach of the Year in ’75 and ’76, but that was while coaching in the ABA.

Below are the odds for Coach of the Year as they appear on Paddy Power.

There is plenty of reason to buy into buy into Kerr repeating in 2015-16. Kerr led the Warriors to the best regular season record in league history, but that was without Kevin Durant, whom they acquired in free agency. Durant, a tremendous upgrade over former Warriors forward Harrison Barnes, will fit perfectly into Golden State’s Lineup of Death. Kerr is one of the few coaches who has the ability to unlock the untapped potential of a player like Durant.

Cleveland’s Tyronn Lue and San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich are tied for the second-best odds at +400. When the Cavaliers promoted Lue after firing David Blatt, it surprised many across the league since the team was at the top of the Eastern Conference. Lue silenced the haters and ultimately led the Cavs to their first championship in team history. Cleveland has retained most of its core, perhaps giving the team the best chance to challenge the Warriors, who are currently the favorites to win the NBA championship.

However, don’t count out Popovich, who quietly finished third last year in Coach of the Year voting. Although he lost franchise player Tim Duncan to retirement, Popovich has the reputation as one of the best in the NBA at developing players. The team signed Pau Gasol to join Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili. Popovich’s team is still deep and has the talent to compete in the Western Conference.

Personally, I believe Quin Snyder is an intriguing long shot at +1400. Utah enters the ’16-’17 season much improved, having addressed many areas of need this summer. They traded for an expiring George Hill, who will likely start as the team eases Dante Exum back from a torn ACL. Utah also brought in two veterans, Joe Johnson and Boris Diaw, two capable rotation players. Lastly, guard Alec Burks and center Rudy Gobert enter ’16-’17 healthy after missing a combined 72 games last season. Snyder finally has a deep squad to work with, so let’s see if he can put it all together.

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