Who are the 5 best (and worst) coaches in the league?

[yoursweatersux]

My 5:

1. Gregg Popovich
-The man is a genius. He gets the most out of EVERY player, has multiple rings to his name, always seems to draw up amazing end-of-game plays that work, and manages people like nobody else. What more can you say?

2. Jerry Sloan
-His record as a coach speaks for itself. No matter what kind of talent/injuries he's working with, he gets his team to play hard and competitive. He would've had a couple rings if not for Jordan.

3. Larry Brown
-The man is a winner, and a defensive guru. Every team he coaches makes something happen. He has the Bobcats, who REALLY aren't that good, playing at a playoff level. This guy turns teams around.

4. Rick Adelman
-Tmac and Yao are out and the Rockets are still killing it. You've gotta hand it to him.

5. Phil Jackson (ugh)
-As much as I hate to say it, I've got to give this guy a little credit. His triangle offense is his trademark, as are his people-managing skills, but the reason he isn't higher on this list is because he has worked with superior talent his entire career (Jordan, Pippen, Shaq, Kobe, Gasol)

...

26. Jay Triano
-Man couldn't get his players to defend their own lives.


27. Mike Brown
-How to become coach of the year: 1) Get Lebron. 2) Wear a suit.

28. Don Nelson
-The lights are on, but is anybody home?

29. Kiki Vandeweghe
-Epic failure of a season. There's no reason why this Nets team should be THIS bad.

30. Kurt Rambis
-Again, nobody was expecting the Timerwolves to be this bad. Apparently only Phil can pull off the triangle offense. Rabis' season has been part of the reason Phil scraped into my top 5.

[Eja117]

I feel similar about Pops and Duncan as you do about Mike Brown and Bron.

I also feel similarly about Phil Jackson and MJ and Kobe and Shaq

[yoursweatersux]

Oh, and here are a few honorable mentions for worst coaches:

Mike Dantoni
-Can't your teams play any defense??? If anybody else coached a team with Amare, Steve Nash, Joe Johnson, etc. etc. they would've at least gotten to the finals.

Vinny Del Negro
-The Bulls-Celtics series exposed his total lack of coaching prowess. Looked like a real amateur out there.

[More Banners]

Top 5 are easy.  I agree with most of your picks, but not the order.

1)  Phil.  I hate to say it, but he manages stars as well as Doc, but also has developed a stable of role players along side of them.  He puts players in a position to look better than they might be.

2)  Popovich, for the reasons you mention

3)  Adelman in Houston.  They're competing every night, amazingly.

4)  Larry Brown:  Players seem to be better basketball players after being coached by him, even after he inevitably quits.

5)  I'll agree with Sloan, but only due to his longevity.  I mean, pick and roll, pick and roll, pick and roll...  But his guys have been playing hard for over 20 years, and that deserves the nod.

Honorable Mention:  Lionel Hollins

The worst, in no particular order:

Kiki:  he's not really a coach, and he knows it.

Don Nelson:  He gave up, but I can't remember when.  

Mike Brown:  Least offensive creativity in the league.

Mike Dunleavy:  Has he ever made them better?  Ever?

John Kuester:  Not that he has much to work with, but what is he doing?



The good question:  where would you rank Doc?

[yoursweatersux]

Top 5 are easy.  I agree with most of your picks, but not the order.

1)  Phil.  I hate to say it, but he manages stars as well as Doc, but also has developed a stable of role players along side of them.  He puts players in a position to look better than they might be.

2)  Popovich, for the reasons you mention

3)  Adelman in Houston.  They're competing every night, amazingly.

4)  Larry Brown:  Players seem to be better basketball players after being coached by him, even after he inevitably quits.

5)  I'll agree with Sloan, but only due to his longevity.  I mean, pick and roll, pick and roll, pick and roll...  But his guys have been playing hard for over 20 years, and that deserves the nod.

Honorable Mention:  Lionel Hollins

The worst, in no particular order:

Kiki:  he's not really a coach, and he knows it.

Don Nelson:  He gave up, but I can't remember when.  

Mike Brown:  Least offensive creativity in the league.

Mike Dunleavy:  Has he ever made them better?  Ever?

John Kuester:  Not that he has much to work with, but what is he doing?



The good question:  where would you rank Doc?

good picks.

I'd say Doc is somewhere in the top 10. He manages people so well, draws up great plays (except for calling that Pierce iso we've seen at the end of games lately... but even that admittedly worked A LOT the last couple of years), and most importantly, kept the C's focused in their championship year.

[More Banners]

Top 5 are easy.  I agree with most of your picks, but not the order.

1)  Phil.  I hate to say it, but he manages stars as well as Doc, but also has developed a stable of role players along side of them.  He puts players in a position to look better than they might be.

2)  Popovich, for the reasons you mention

3)  Adelman in Houston.  They're competing every night, amazingly.

4)  Larry Brown:  Players seem to be better basketball players after being coached by him, even after he inevitably quits.

5)  I'll agree with Sloan, but only due to his longevity.  I mean, pick and roll, pick and roll, pick and roll...  But his guys have been playing hard for over 20 years, and that deserves the nod.

Honorable Mention:  Lionel Hollins

The worst, in no particular order:

Kiki:  he's not really a coach, and he knows it.

Don Nelson:  He gave up, but I can't remember when.  

Mike Brown:  Least offensive creativity in the league.

Mike Dunleavy:  Has he ever made them better?  Ever?

John Kuester:  Not that he has much to work with, but what is he doing?



The good question:  where would you rank Doc?

good picks.

I'd say Doc is somewhere in the top 10. He manages people so well, draws up great plays (except for calling that Pierce iso we've seen at the end of games lately... but even that admittedly worked A LOT the last couple of years), and most importantly, kept the C's focused in their championship year.

Thanks.  It's really tough to compare, since teams need different things.  The best coaches change strategies to suit what they've got to work with.  I think Phil showed he could do that, too.

I think our team will inevitably evolve from needing someone to manage superstar personalities to someone with other skills (rotations, working in less experienced players, and trying to exploit matchups with a roster of imperfect players).  I'm not sure he's got the whole package.  I'd say he's middle of the road, great at some things, below average at others.

[Gomesfan]

Delnegro must be on your long list for worst!

[PosImpos]

Best
1. Phil Jax
2. Popovich
3. Rick Adelman
4. Larry Brown
5. Nate McMillan / Jerry Sloan

Worst
1. Don Nelson
2. Mike Dunleavy
3. Kikki Vandeweghe
4. John Kuester
5. Mike Brown - he's a coach like Jim Caldwell is a coach.  he just stands there and lets his star do the work