NBA Says Warriors Interim Coach Luke Walton can Win Awards, but will not be Credited for the Wins

Luke Walton and the Golden State Warriors have made history with their 19-0 start to the season.

Despite the wins, Walton, who is filling in for head coach Steve Kerr, will not be credited with any of them. However, the NBA clarified today that Walton is still eligible to win any league coaching awards.

The NBA wrote on Tuesday:

"The NBA clarified today the league's rules regarding coaching records: the head coach of record is credited with team wins and losses. Steve Kerr remains the head coach of record for the Golden State Warriors and is credited with those results.

Additionally, any team head coach, interim head coach or acting head coach is eligible to be recognized with league coaching awards. Therefore, Warriors interim head coach Luke Walton is eligible for NBA Coach of the Month."

The NBA made the clarification after reports were circulating claiming the league was considering giving the wins to Walton.

Kerr, who led the Warriors to the 2015 NBA Championships and is recovering from back surgery, has previously stated that Walton should be getting the wins.

"I think it's ridiculous. I'm sitting in the locker room and watching the games on TV, and I'm not even traveling to most of the road games. Luke's doing all the work with the rest of the staff," he said to ESPN.com. "Luke is 15-0 right now. I'm not. So it's the dumbest thing I've ever heard, to be honest with you. I don't even understand it.

The Warriors were able to get win No. 19 Monday night against the Utah Jazz, who tried to pull off the upset. In the 106-103 win, Stephen Curry had 26 points and shot 4-for-8 from the three-point range, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson scored 20 points apiece.

After surpassing the 15-0 start of the season record, the Warriors are now chasing a straight 33-0 streak.

They will play the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, Dec. 2 at 7:00 p.m. ET.