So my buddy and I had a conversation today about NBA coaches. We came to agree that beyond five coaches in the league, they are interchangeable, and although some of them bring their own way of coaching the game, they are all the same. They try to keep everyone on track and running the show as they think it should be run, but they basically are just getting by and really have no successful theory or concept of the game. We determined that these five coaches were the only coaches in the league that are worth a crap, and thus, they actually make a difference in a sport that is won chiefly by its players and not by its coaches.(in no particular order)Gregg PopovichPhil JacksonAvery JohnsonMike D'AntoniPat RileyLarry Brown used to be on this list, but that debacle in New York this year ousted him from that list, at least for now.Agree, disagree?
I agree with most of it, if that list were for how they did this year then I think it's a good list.Larry is gonna be there in a few years, it usually takes him a couple of years to turn a franchise around.Those are the 5 best coaches in the league as of right now.
You lost all credibility when you mention Mike D'antoni. How the hell can he mentioned with the 3 of the greatest coaches of all time? I doubt this guy is an actual good coach, he doesn't care what the opposition is doing and always says "we need to run". Seems like a retard.And how did you put him over Rick carlisle?And larry brown is still one of the best coaches ever, just look at how detroit is going.
I think hes just refering to this season, Mike's "we need to run" style has been working pretty well for them so far.If this were an all time list, Mike or Avery wouldn't ever be on this list.
D'Antoni isn't an all-time great coach. He could be considered one if he wins a few championships and he has the talent to do so. I'd probably put him as the 4th or 5th best coach right now. You have way too much hate for D'Antoni. If all he did was say "run" he wouldn't have a job and wouldn't take his team this far with so many key injuries. He and Colangelo brought in all the players that are helping us out in the absensce of Amare and Kurt during the playoffs, and Raja during the suspension and injury. And he's made some good moves this postseason. Putting Marion on Cassell was surprising but it worked. He also put out some different line-ups that have worked this season. He also invented an offense that got Nash two MVP's... I want nothing more than a championship for him so no one can say this style doesen't work.
The reason I put D'Antoni on the list, is because as far as current coaches go, I think he has adapted to the personnel he has and gone the direction that the team needs to go. If we are talking about X's and O's, he is definitely not on the list. But we're not. Most coaches will try and force a system, many times even if it doesn't work with the personnel (see every team Larry Brown has ever coached). I think D'Antoni makes a difference, which was chiefly what this list was all about.As far as Larry Brown goes, he is one of the worst adaptive coaches in history. The reason he had so much success with the Pistons and some of the other teams he coached was because the players he had worked for his scheme. What happens when the players he has doesn't fit into his idea for the team? He forces it. So, when he coaches a team like the USA team or last year's Knicks, instead of trying a different style to see what works with the players he has, he tries to make them play a way that isn't conducive to the players on the roster.And, Rick Carlisle deserves an honrable mention. He just hasn't really proven anything to speak of for me. He ran a good but not great Pistons team, and he has run a good but not great Pacers team. He has been through a lot with the Pacers the last couple of years though, so he definitely gets a sympathy vote.
Here's what another Suns fan, smarter than me i'll admit, says about D'Antoni.<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>When coaches approach most any game, they are looking at how to force their will, their strengths, on opposing teams. The assumption is the other team will adjust to what your team does the best. When the Suns come up one the schedule, the first thing coaches do is start adjusting their approach to counter the Suns, whether or not it's to their strength to do so.The secret to the Suns offense is not the running game. That's merely the product of the mentality with the hope of getting as many easy buckets as possible. But any team could do that with varying degrees of success -- most teams have a small lineup to do that very thing when they need to score buckets in a hurry.The real secret to the Suns success is offensive spacing, and a passing scheme that borrows from some of the more complex offenses out there, such as the Princeton offense. The Suns would love to have a low-post threat, but they simulate one by driving to the basket, using cutters off the two-man game, and they will cut at any angle from any position. It's about ball movement.No doubt, D'Antoni would not be discussed for his success without Steve Nash, but none of the playoff coaches would be where they were without great players. Even the great Zen Master -- especially ZM -- has won his championships with four players considered among the Top 50 all time ... two for each championship squad.Where D'Antoni succeeds, and I think behind the scenes Alvin Gentry and Iavaroni, is finding ways to hide weaknesses but maximizing strengths. For example, D'Antoni has been willing to concede points to stars like Kobe, Brand, and Nowitizki, in favor of cutting off secondary (and potentially more damaging) scorers. His utilization of Marion to deny entry passes to low post players and as a perimeter defender is unorthodox, particularly Marion plays the power forward position.But the biggest question D'Antoni's critics have to answer is this: How does a team with primary rotation of one point guard, two shooting guards, and four small forwards get to the Western Conference finals? How does a team with only one player taller than 6-8 win two playoffs series and go toe-to-toe with the team many are considering the odds-on favorite to win the whole thing?There is something to be said for a coach who can manage emotions and player rotations with an unconventional system -- and sticking to his philosophical guns when all conventional logic says to abort and try something else. The system has its flaws because it was designed for more diverse personnel, but D'Antoni and his staff have figured out how to fine tune the system and get the most out of unorthodox player moves. Who but D'Antoni would try a 6-8 backup point guard at center?I don't think of D'Antoni as a coaching wizard. If anything, all he's done so far is expose the NBA for what it's become: A lot of over-hyped athletes who lack fundamentals that used to be the essential element of any good NBA team. His system preys on a fundamental lack of discipline. On the other hand, that pretty much defines any excellent coach who has gotten more out of a roster than he should have.To me, D'Antoni is what Cotton Fitzsimmons would have become if it he had been born two generations later. What D'Antoni has going for him that Cotton never had, though, is a more diverse staff that compliments his skills rather than offering redunancy.</div>
Good post.1- Apparently it was Colangelo who created that run and gun system [read it somewhere]2- D'antoni's unwilligness to even care what the opposition is doing puts him down3- I believe Steve nash's impact is bigger that he's.4- His style will never win anything.What rick has gone through in the last couple of years puts him in my top 5. He's gotten teams to the playoffs which other coaches would fail at.And the knicks wouldn't work with any other coach, there just a bunch of selfish players.
Colangelo didn't create it. D'Antoni brought what he learned and won many championships with in Italy. He does care what the opposition does. Really, what could he do against the Lakers with Kwame and Odom when he didn't have Amare or Kurt? He has changed up a lot of defensive match-ups to help us out and our offense gives us even more mismatches. Without Kurt and Amare and being forced to run this series, he put out the 4 6'8+ guys and Nash on the floor together for rebounding which has worked pretty good. He has also made other changes.It's D'Antoni's offense that's helping Nash out. Nash, before coming here, never passed 8 assists, even with the offensive genious Don Nelson as his coach. Another reason why Nash is playing so well is that D'Antoni put Diaw were he could play the best. Who else, like that guy I quoted said, would put a 6'8 guy at center and make it work?I might put D'Antoni as the 5th best coach, or drop him down to 6th because he also has a nice coaching staff. But he is a good coach.
If what you say is correct, that D'antoni actually was the one behind the system [ i read he wasn't], than i admit his top 5. But if he isn't, i stand my comment.Secondly, don't act like you being small is a negative. It's a positive because you can outrun you're opposition. D'antoni was forced to go small and he has the right type of players which can work with the system.Thirdly he's disregard to make adjustments untill he can finally cost you a series puts him down. He only decided to double Odom in the post after you were down 3-1. Good coaches don't do that.
Being small does help us a lot, but we are absolutely killed on rebounding so we need to put a big line-up out there too. I'll admit Phil Jackson outcoached him for almost the whole series, and he should since he's the best or 2nd best coach of all time. But yeah...D'Antoni is pretty good himself. That first sentence is good though. I will take that. I'm pretty sure that was D'Antoni's offense because of what he did in Italy. Bryan Colangelo just helped D'Antoni bring in the players and I love him for that. And Jerry Colangelo just sits and enjoys being the President and gives advice to Robert Sarver.
Any coach could tell the Suns right now to run and they would be some what successful. D'Antoni shouldnt be on that list.What about Mike Dunleavy for the Clips?Aslo Carlisle, just because he has no titles doesn't mean jack sh*t.
I like Dunleavy, but to put him on there, id like to see what he does next season, and then make the decision. He has a good team no doubt about that
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (The Lefty @ May 31 2006, 10:14 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Any coach could tell the Suns right now to run and they would be some what successful. D'Antoni shouldnt be on that list.</div>Yeah...we already went throught that. I'm sorry if you have trouble reading. :no1:
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ArizonaFan @ May 31 2006, 12:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Yeah...we already went throught that. I'm sorry if you have trouble reading. :no1:</div>Yeah I've seen it, but i cant still reply to the damn topic... geez..
Mike DUnleavy is no good. No adaption whatsoever. He got burned in that Clippers series because he refused to run an adaptive lineup (too many minutes for Chris Kaman) and he made bad decisions in key situations (see bringing in Daniel Ewing to guard Raja Bell when he drills That Three in game 5). He's another replaceable part that finally got a good roster with veterans to run the show.
