resistanze
04-24-2007, 10:09 AM
Apr 24, 2007 10:41 AM
Doug Smith
Sports Reporter
Sam Mitchell has completed a shocking three-year rise from rookie head coach to the best in his profession in the NBA.
After helping engineer a startling turnaround in the fortunes of the Raptors, Mitchell has been named the league's coach of the year in balloting by a 128-member panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.
Mitchell earned 49 first place votes to easily out-distance Utah's Jerry Sloan and become the first Raptor coach to earn the honour.
In this third year in Toronto, Mitchell took a team coming off a 27-win 2005-06 season with nine new players and helped guide it to the first Atlantic Division title in franchise history with a 47-35 record.
Toronto's 20-game improvement from last year to this was the best in the NBA this season.
Mitchell totalled 389 points, Sloan received 301 points (39 first-place votes) and the Dallas Mavericks' Avery Johnson was third with 268 points (28 first-place votes). Coaches were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote received.
In January, Mitchell became only the second coach in Raptors history to earn Eastern Conference Coach of the Month honours after leading the team to a 10-5 record.
Doug Smith
Sports Reporter
Sam Mitchell has completed a shocking three-year rise from rookie head coach to the best in his profession in the NBA.
After helping engineer a startling turnaround in the fortunes of the Raptors, Mitchell has been named the league's coach of the year in balloting by a 128-member panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.
Mitchell earned 49 first place votes to easily out-distance Utah's Jerry Sloan and become the first Raptor coach to earn the honour.
In this third year in Toronto, Mitchell took a team coming off a 27-win 2005-06 season with nine new players and helped guide it to the first Atlantic Division title in franchise history with a 47-35 record.
Toronto's 20-game improvement from last year to this was the best in the NBA this season.
Mitchell totalled 389 points, Sloan received 301 points (39 first-place votes) and the Dallas Mavericks' Avery Johnson was third with 268 points (28 first-place votes). Coaches were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote received.
In January, Mitchell became only the second coach in Raptors history to earn Eastern Conference Coach of the Month honours after leading the team to a 10-5 record.