2012 NBA Awards Race: Does Frank Vogel Deserve Coach of the Year Consideration?

With the 2012 NBA regular season finally behind us and the postseason under way, there isn't a single event remaining that lacks career-altering repercussions. The playoffs breed motivational, or career-ending, failure and success. The NBA draft creates a new beginning for a young man looking to live out his dreams.

And then there's the unveiling of the individual awards.

While the player-oriented awards are often the most heralded and debated, the most competitive award of all may be the Coach of the Year.

Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs and Tom Thibodeau of the Chicago Bulls are the front-runners, with neither offering much to dislike. Both have overcome injuries to key players and done the unthinkable by remaining atop the regular-season food chain.

Evidence of such is the fact that the Bulls and Spurs finished tied for the NBA's best record.

An issue has presented itself, however, as the two seem to have found some company. Their lucky companion just so happens to be second-year coach Frank Vogel, who has led the Indiana Pacers to a surprising 42-24 record—the fifth-best record in the NBA.

For those unfamiliar with Vogel's work, it's not difficult to see the appeal in his case for the honors.

A season ago, the Pacers finished 37-45 and made the playoffs by virtue of an even weaker-than-usual Eastern Conference. Their .451 winning percentage was worse than three Western Conference teams that did not make the playoffs.

In 2012, the Pacers have won five more games than a year ago despite playing in a lockout-shortened season. Their winning percentage of .636 is also a full .181 better than in 2011. That improvement alone is higher than the Bobcats' winning percentage in 2012.

At the heart of this drastic improvement is the Pacers' play on the defensive end of the floor.

In 2011, the Pacers allowed 100.9 points per game, good for 17th in the NBA. This season, the Pacers are 10th in the NBA by allowing an average of just 94.4 points per game. That's a full 6.5-point drop.

While both Popovich and Thibodeau have overcome adversity in legendary ways, no coach or team has come as far as Vogel and his Pacers. While one could argue that the odds were stacked higher against the Spurs and Bulls, it would be foolish to count Vogel out as a legitimate contender.

Not too bad for a 38-year-old who got his start as the Pacers' interim head coach.