Miami Heat's Erik Spoelstra Picked as NBA's Top Coach by League General Managers

Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has never clamored for attention or individual accolades.

He usually downplays when the subject of best NBA coach surfaces. On Friday, Spoelstra didn’t have to do the talking. His peers said enough.

Spoelstra was voted the league’s best coach by a poll of general managers. He received 46 percent of the votes, ahead of Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse and San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. Spoelstra was also named “Best Manager/Motivator” and the coach who makes best in-game adjustments.

Spoelstra has often been overlooked because the notion of won championships on stacked teams. His two titles came while he was leading LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in the early portion of the decade. Those teams won three championships in four straight NBA Finals.

Spoelstra ended those criticisms last year by leading the Heat to the Finals, where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. The Heat entered the Eastern Conference playoffs as the No. 5 seed.

Other Heat honorees included team captain Udonis Haslem, who ranked third among players who would likely become coaches. Jimmy Butler, the team’s leading scorer last year, was rated the No. 4 shooting guard.

Butler was also tied for third with Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart for toughest player.

The full list can be found here:

The Heat conclude the preseason Friday against the Raptors in Tampa and begin the regular season versus the New Orleans Pelicans Dec. 25.

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