His players. His father. Danny Ferry. And, of course,
"Winning this award evokes a lot of emotions," Budenholzer said, choking up several times.
He is clearly uncomfortable in the spotlight, and he said he would have preferred for
Kerr, whose team finished an NBA-best 67-15 in his first season with the Warriors, was second in the balloting, the only other candidate to receive serious consideration.
"I don't want to sound like I'm not appreciative of it," Budenholzer said after a ceremony at Philips Arena. "But in a perfect world, I'd be somewhere else."
A longtime assistant under Popovich at San Antonio, Budenholzer won the Red Auerbach Trophy for guiding the Hawks to a 60-22 mark during the regular season, the best in franchise history.
The Hawks had a 19-game winning streak, became the first NBA team to go 17-0 during a calendar month, and cruised to their first division title since 1994, which also was the last time they held a No. 1 seed.
"He deserves it," said
Budenholzer received 67 first-place votes and 513 points overall in balloting by sports writers and broadcasters. Kerr received 56 first-place votes and 471 points. Milwaukee's Jason Kidd was a distant third.
The
According to a Phoenix police report, Erik Hood said five people, including the Morris brothers, repeatedly punched and kicked him.
Police say it is alleged that Hood, 36, was assaulted for sending an inappropriate text message to the Morris brothers' mother.
The names of the other three men are redacted in court documents released Tuesday.
Their first court appearance is set for May 7.
The Chicago Bulls could be without forward
Mirotic's status is in doubt after he was hurt in a scramble for a loose ball with the Bucks'
