LeBron James: Terry Stotts deserved Coach of the Year

LeBron James thinks Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts was more deserving of the league’s Coach of the Year award than winner Warriors coach Steve Kerr.

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LeBron James thinks Portland Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts was more deserving of the league’s Coach of the Year award than winner Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, he told Cleveland.com on Thursday.

“I think Terry Stotts should have been or could have been Coach of the Year,” James said. “I can’t remember the last time that I’ve seen a team lose four starters and still be in the same position as far as the postseason success they had.”

LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum, Robin Lopez and Wes Matthews all departed for other teams last off-season, yet the Trail Blazers still finished fifth in the Western Conference and advanced to the second round of the playoffs before being eliminated by the Warriors on Wednesday.

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Kerr won his first NBA Coach of the Year award after leading the Warriors to a record-breaking 73-win season, despite missing the first 43 games of the season as he recovered from a back injury. 

James also commented on Stephen Curry’s MVP award earlier this week, saying the Warriors’ star ​was deserving of the honor, though he debated the meaning of the word “valuable.”