Fans of the Detroit Pistons have gotten treated (subjected to) the extremes of NBA coaching over the last two seasons.
Last year, Monty Williams never really showed up, whether it was because of personal things going on in his life or just not wanting to be in Detroit, he did an objectively bad job coaching the team, which no one saw coming after he signed a record contract.
This year, JB Bickerstaff couldn’t be more present if he tried, as he has taken a far more hands-on approach to player development, constantly backs his guys and isn’t afraid to mix it up with the refs, things we didn’t see much of from Monty Williams.
And the results speak for themselves, as the Pistons have already won 40 games this season after winning just 14 all of last year.
This has clearly put JB Bickerstaff into the Coach of the Year debate, and in my eyes, it shouldn’t even be a debate, as what he has done with this team is not only remarkable but unprecedented.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are having a historic season of their own, with a chance to set the franchise record for victories in a season, which has head coach Kenny Atkinson as the frontrunner for the COTY award.
But voters need to think about this one, as Bickerstaff is about to put his name in the history books and has to be given recognition.
JB Bickerstaff vs. Kenny Atkinson for Coach of the Year
This is one of those awards that really depends on your own preferences and opinions about whether it is harder to make a very good team great or to make a bad team good.
That’s at the crux of the Bickerstaff vs. Atkinson debate, as Atkinson inherited a very good playoff team (ironically the one Bickerstaff coached just last year) and turned them into the best team in the Eastern Conference.
Whether they make it any deeper in the playoffs this season is yet to be seen, but the Cavs are going to win over 60 games and Atkinson does deserve credit, especially on the offensive end.
But you could also argue that the biggest reason the Cavs weren’t this good last year was because of injuries, not because of JB Bickerstaff, and that they might be just as good if JB hadn’t been fired.
It was Bickerstaff who built the team’s defensive identity, not Atkinson, and the latter has enjoyed much better health. Again, this is not to take anything away from what the Cavs and Atkinson have done this season, but his job was partially done for him.
That wasn’t the case with Bickerstaff, who took over a hopeless team fresh off the worst season in franchise history, a team that set the all-time NBA record for consecutive losses in a single season.
It’s not like the Pistons added a bunch of superstars last offseason, so as much credit has to go to Bickerstaff as to Trajan Langdon, Cade Cunningham and everyone else involved in this turnaround.
And what a turnaround it's been...
The Pistons are two wins away from TRIPLING their win total from last season, and unless there is a catastrophe, Detroit will set the mark for the biggest one-season turnaround in NBA history.
The other teams on that list are ones like the Celtics or Nets who added Hall of Fame veteran talent in the offseason directly after being bad, which is not what happened in Detroit.
The Pistons’ renaissance has mostly come from within due to improvement from their young players with the biggest factor in that being JB Bickerstaff who completely changed the culture of the team.
Atkinson will probably win the award, but it will be Bickerstaff who will be remembered every time the topic of “biggest improvement” comes up, as the Pistons are on the verge of doing something that may never be repeated.