I don't think JB wins Coach Of The Year, but he should. It's not the final number as much as it's where they were coming from. But there's a lot of lazy records that'll just look at most wins and not consider where they were last year.
And I think they left 4-5 wins on the table too. They lost some heartbreakers early on and then lost a few where their seeding was already decided late. And, as mentioned early, Ivey was becoming a really good player. It's like JB freed him to just play and he responded before the injury. But, if Ivey doesn't go down, maybe Malik doesn't do his thing. It was just one hell of a job by JB. If they narrow it down to 3 it's going to be Atkinson, Daigneault and Bickerstaff. If Udoka beats out Bickerstaff as a finalist, it would be an insult, but I think that would actually HELP the Pistons motivation-wise.
Quite honestly, if this team has bolted for Las Vegas or Seattle or anywhere else after last year, I don't think people would have cared all that much. That's how bad they'd become.