CB Historical Draft: Vote Best Coach of the Era

[Moranis]

I voted for Pat Riley for quality over quantity.  He won four championships with the Lakers (pre-1989, I know) and another with Miami.
His Laker team beat the Larry Bird Celts twice in the finals, and I thought those Celts were among the greatest teams of all time.

Phil Jackson's teams beat the Nets, Pacers, Sixers...  (not so greatest).

I voted for Riley, as well.

It's not as simple as adding up Jackson's championships and saying that he's better than all comers.  For all ten of his championships, he had the best player in the league, playing beside another All-NBA talent.  If Riley had that type of talent at his disposal, I think he'd have surpassed Jackson in terms of titles.

Now, maybe my vote should have been for Pops or Jackson, because this question is confined to this 1989-2010 era.  Still, I think that the job Riley did coaching the Heat was an excellent one.  He adapted his entire style not once, but twice to fit the personnel that he had.  That, to me, is a sign of outstanding coaching.

Come on now, for what you knock Jackson for you can't then just vote for Riley.  I mean seriously the Heat had Wade in his prime, Shaq on the back end of his prime, another future HOFer at the point in Payton.  Not to mention Mourning on the bench. 

The only guy that should really be in the discussion with Jackson (during this era) would be Larry Brown.  He is the only man to win a title without an elite player.  He took a team led by Iverson to the finals, Iverson really.  He took the Clippers to back to back playoff appearances for crying out loud. 

I'd buy Brown over Jackson, but everything else is just Celtic blinders for Phil.

[Roy Hobbs]

I voted for Pat Riley for quality over quantity.  He won four championships with the Lakers (pre-1989, I know) and another with Miami.
His Laker team beat the Larry Bird Celts twice in the finals, and I thought those Celts were among the greatest teams of all time.

Phil Jackson's teams beat the Nets, Pacers, Sixers...  (not so greatest).

I voted for Riley, as well.

It's not as simple as adding up Jackson's championships and saying that he's better than all comers.  For all ten of his championships, he had the best player in the league, playing beside another All-NBA talent.  If Riley had that type of talent at his disposal, I think he'd have surpassed Jackson in terms of titles.

Now, maybe my vote should have been for Pops or Jackson, because this question is confined to this 1989-2010 era.  Still, I think that the job Riley did coaching the Heat was an excellent one.  He adapted his entire style not once, but twice to fit the personnel that he had.  That, to me, is a sign of outstanding coaching.

Come on now, for what you knock Jackson for you can't then just vote for Riley.  I mean seriously the Heat had Wade in his prime, Shaq on the back end of his prime, another future HOFer at the point in Payton.  Not to mention Mourning on the bench. 

The only guy that should really be in the discussion with Jackson (during this era) would be Larry Brown.  He is the only man to win a title without an elite player.  He took a team led by Iverson to the finals, Iverson really.  He took the Clippers to back to back playoff appearances for crying out loud. 

I'd buy Brown over Jackson, but everything else is just Celtic blinders for Phil.

First, I don't think anybody who votes for Pat Riley can be accused of having Celtics blinders.

Second, I think you're being a bit skewed in your analysis.  Payton wasn't exactly a Hall of Famer when he was playing for Riley, and Alonzo and Shaq were both far past their prime.  Wade was just coming into his own as a star, and a fat, old Antoine Walker was part of the nucleus.

How do you see that comparing to a prime Jordan / Pippen, or a prime Shaq / Kobe?  I mean, each time, Jackson had the best player in the league, and another top five player.  Jackson gets credit for winning with elite talent, but I think that Riley or a few other coaches could have achieved the same thing.

I think Riley is a better coach -- as are a handful of other guys, like Brown, Pops, and Sloan -- because he's had his teams overachieve for him.  I don't see that as much with Jackson.