Big foam finger time? Actually, I think you need two big foam hands to hold up 8 big foam fingers. But seriously, Karl deserved it. You don't win the award for finishing 2nd in your division.
I'm just glad that Woodson didn't undeservingly catch the NY vote like Chandler did a year ago for DPOY. I'd have voted for either Pops or Thibs, but it's hard to argue with Karl.
Thibs will win it next year based on this playoff performance and the Bulls hopefully having one of the if not the best record in the NBA.
I didn't want to diminish Thibs' accomplishment as coach. I think he's the best coach in the game right now. When LeBron left the Cavs, their record fell by 40 games. When Rose missed the season, we still managed a .548 win percentage. My point is simply that the voters aren't going to factor in the idea that the Bulls should have own 35 and won 45 so Thibs did a great job as coach. Rather, they did look at Karl's performance and how the Nuggets caught fire after a slow start and ended up winning 57 games. I guess I was wrong about winning the award for finishing 2nd in your division as that's exactly what Karl did. The 57 wins for his team was huge, though. And OKC was in the finals last year, it's hardly a shame to finish 2nd to them.
Both Doc Rivers and Hubie Brown won the award for coaching their teams to a 41-41 record. FWIW, I agree that Karl deserved the award.