well of course. 'in a vacuum' doesn't mean 'outside of basketball'. i mean 'outside the Pacers system'. I think it's clear that Paul George is overall a more skilled and talented defender than Hibbert. Hibbert would get abused on some teams. He wouldn't be able to rotate if he was asked to play like Noah plays or even Marc Gasol plays. He'd get killed on pick and roll. On the other hand, Paul George would be great in any system. But the way the Pacers play, Hibbert is their defensive MVP.
Why is Spoelstra being considered the favorite for COY over guys like George Karl, Lionel Hollins, and Mark Jackson?
I understand that. It just seems so lackluster to give it to a guy who has two of the top 10 players on his team, and one of them IS the top player. Karl has his team, with no stars, in the top 3 of the tough West. Jackson helped bring the Warriors to relevency. The Grizz traded away their supposed top player and remade on the fly, but Hollins handled it well and they're playing even better. Maybe he does deserve it and I'm just not giving him enough credit.
I think he's a good coach, probably doesn't get enough credit, but yeah, not sure he should get it. Yes, 27 in a row is impressive. Yes, having the best record speaks for itself. Many cases to be made for many coaches. Thibodeau? Doc? Hollins? Spoelstra? Woodson? Karl? Vogel? McHale? Popovich? Jackson?
