First it was Miami Heat president Pat Riley who publicly spoke about Erik Spoelstra, then it was Dwyane Wade. Both of them praised Spoelstra and recognized his effort this season, as he is going to be one of the coaches that will be considered for Coach of the Year award. Spoelstra will not have it easy as there are a lot of great coaches in the NBA. However, he has done a fantastic job this season with the Heat, and there is no doubt that he will be one of the Coach of the Year front runners.
Dwyane Wade knows Erik Spoelstra and how good he is
Dwyane Wade played eight seasons under Erik Spoelstra in Miami and two of them won two championships together.
If someone knows how good of a head coach Spoelstra is, then it's definitely Wade. Even though he is no longer on the Miami Heat, the 35-year old shooting guard had nothing but words of praise for Erik Spoelstra.
“I think this year probably opened a lot of eyes to his and his staff’s coaching ability,” Wade said of his former coach while also saying how incredible the Miami Heat have been this season. The shooting guard was surprised how the Heat turned their 11-30 record into one of the best records in 2017, and that astonishing feat will definitely help Erik Spoelstra's Coach of the Year case.
Coach of the Year race will be intense but Spoelstra can win it
Erik Spoelstra is just one of many amazing coaches in the league, and it will be difficult to pick the best NBA coach this season.
Beside Spoelstra, there are Tyronn Lue, Brad Stevens and Scott Brooks, whose teams are at the top of the East. In the West, there is the great Gregg Popovich and Steve Kerr. Mike D'Antoni is also in Coach of the Year discussion since he transformed the Houston Rockets into an offensive juggernaut, and Quin Snyder did a fantastic job with his Utah Jazz, especially on defense.
There is a month of regular season left, and it will be interesting to watch how these great coaches will lead their teams to the finish line. Just one winning or losing streak is enough to change the situation, and no one of the aforementioned coaches is a lock for Coach of the Year award. Undoubtedly, it will be an intense race until the last game of the season, but Erik Spoelstra has a chance to win it if the Miami Heat make the playoffs.
