Coach of the First Trimester: Mike Budenholzer, Atlanta

I know what you're going to say.

You only picked Budenholzer to make yourself look good, Stein.

I get it, too. That's a natural leap to make if you've paid close enough attention to recall that, on both the pages of ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com, Budenholzer was my preseason Coach of the Year pick.

‎Yet I would argue, in response, that you're being overly conspiratorial. Look at Atlanta's roster. Look at the Hawks' record. Look at what they've done these past two weeks alone after everyone dismissed their 16-7 start by citing an easy early schedule.