Luke Walton's number of Coach of the Month awards: One. Luke Walton's number of wins as a coach: Zero.
Despite an official record of 0-0, Walton on Tuesday was named the NBA's Western Conference Coach of the Month for games played in October and November. The Warriors are 19-0 as Walton fills in for an injured Steve Kerr. Even though Walton is on the sidelines for Golden State's games, Kerr is still credited with the wins as he is available for practices and halftime meetings.
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Golden State's perfect start to the season is an NBA record. The Warriors lead the league in scoring at 115.3 points per game and point differential at 15.4. They will try for their 20th straight win this season Wednesday night at Charlotte.
Walton, who won a pair of NBA titles with the Lakers during his 11-year NBA career, is in his second season on the Warriors' staff after serving as a player development coach with the NBA D-League's Los Angeles D-Fenders during the 2013-14 season.
Per NBA rules, all wins this year will be officially credited to Kerr, who is still recovering from offseason back surgery. While NBA rules credit victories to the head coach of record, interim or acting head coaches are eligible to be recognized with league coaching awards.
"Steve's done a lot for me," Walton, the son of Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton, said Tuesday, via ESPN. "It's the least I can do to add a couple wins on his total for him with all he's done for me."
Walton has drawn praise from Warriors players and former Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant. Bryant said Walton reminded him of former Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who coached the Bulls and Lakers to a total of 11 NBA championships.
"I told him he was the next Phil, because he was an average player with a messed-up back," Bryant said, via ESPN. "I used to rib him all the time about that, but honestly, he always had a really brilliant mind. He understood flow and tempo and spacing and how to manage a team the right way. So I couldn't be any happier for him. He looks very comfortable in that role. If you're going to have a mentor, Phil's a pretty good one."
Cavaliers coach David Blatt received Eastern Conference honors for his team's 13-4 record.