This is an IHeart podcast.

You're tuned in to Heat Check with Trista Crick.

On this episode of the Heat Check, we are about a fifth of the way through the NBA season, folks,

and it's time to take a look at a very underrated category in the awards race, Coach of the Year.

I break down the favorites, then stayaways, then the dark horses in this very competitive

category. Hint, one coach to me is separating himself from the pack, and he's still a great

value in my opinion for a futures bet on Coach of the Year.

I recorded this on a recent episode of the BetMGM tonight.

Could not wait to share it with you guys.

It's coaching time, people.

So Nick, do me a favor and drop that beat.

So we're about a fifth way through the season, Peach.

I think it's time for us to go to a category we have not hit.

It is finally time to take a look at who we like for the NBA coach of the year. There's only one name that comes to mind.

I'm going to give you a bunch of names, and then I'm going to give you my favorite name. But, P.D., you know me so well. You kind of know where I'm going, kind of know what I'm thinking. Here's the odds. We got Will Hardy plus 500 from the Utah Jazz. We got Joe Missoula plus 700 for the Boston Celtics. J.B. Bickerstaff, plus 800 for the Cavs. Chauncey Billups, plus 800 for the Blazers. Taylor Jenkins, plus 900 for the Memphis Grizzlies. Budenholzer plus 950 for the Bucks. Willie Green plus 1,600 for the Sons. Willie Green for the Pelicans, plus 1,600. Monty Williams, plus 1,800 for the Sons,

Greg Popovich, plus 2,500 for the Spurs, Nick Nurse plus 3,30 to 1 for the Toronto Raptors.

Tons of surprises, I think, in this year for lots of teams, which makes the category pretty

interesting, I think.

Makes it very fun because, rest assured, Peach, there's going to be a lot of change by the end of the season.

We've got the trade deadline.

We've got teams who end up starting to sink down the rankings and then they decide they're not going to win any games anymore.

So I wanted to look at the top five in this list and give you my thoughts on how I think it's going to play out.

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