Personally, and I'm a homer, I think Chris Paul merits coach of the year for Phoenix over Monty Williams. I can't say enough about the impact he had on the Phoenix Suns.
Still, they made a huge jump in wins, and that's generally the criteria that matters.
The Knicks have likewise over achieved, and I can't as easily point to a player that made the difference so maybe Thibodaux has a strong case.
But Quin Snyder actually changed the Jazz overall offensive system to emphasize the three, and it worked.
This year's Jazz is not significantly different from last year's Jazz, but they absolutely performed considerably better.
Quin Snyder is an excellent coach...but he will probably never be Coach of the Year as long as the Jazz are good. Just like Jerry Sloan.