Parish: Stevens 'a solid coach' but he gets 'a little too much praise'

[Donoghus]

So...according to Parish you have to win a few championships to be considered great...I guess the following aren't 'great':

Players:
John Stockton
Karl Malone
Charles Barkely
George Gervin
Pete Maravich
Artis Gilmore
Patrick Ewing
Reggie Miller

Coaches:
Don Nelson
Jerry Sloan

He didn't say that.  He said that Stevens is treated by the media like he has won a bunch of championships.  No one puts Malone in the same class as Kareem, Jordan, etc. because Malone didn't win championships.  I mean seriously, Malone was a multiple time MVP, 2nd all time in points scored, etc., but he is never even considered in the discussion for the greatest players ever, because he never got over the hump.

First, he is wrong - nobody is talking about Stevens like he has won a bunch of championships. They are simply giving him due praise for taking a team without its two best players to the ECF (and possibly the Finals). It's obvious other coaches are jealous of him and the fact that he doesn't care about accolades probably angers them more.

Second, when was it ever mentioned that Stevens was being considered an all-time great? He is only in his 5th season and the team has improved under him each year. While some guys have had it easy (Kerr, Lue, Spoelstra, Jackson, etc), Stevens is methodically working his way from the bottom up. We praise rising young players with immense potential who haven't won anything; the same is just being done with a coach in this case. To deny Stevens' potential to possibly win championships would be short-sighted.

You haven't been paying attention to the national media.  A lot of them have most definitely elevated Stevens into the super elite coaching class, despite the fact that he hasn't even made a Finals and through game 1 still has a losing record in the playoffs.

Which, when given actual context, should carry about zero weight.

[Moranis]

So...according to Parish you have to win a few championships to be considered great...I guess the following aren't 'great':

Players:
John Stockton
Karl Malone
Charles Barkely
George Gervin
Pete Maravich
Artis Gilmore
Patrick Ewing
Reggie Miller

Coaches:
Don Nelson
Jerry Sloan

He didn't say that.  He said that Stevens is treated by the media like he has won a bunch of championships.  No one puts Malone in the same class as Kareem, Jordan, etc. because Malone didn't win championships.  I mean seriously, Malone was a multiple time MVP, 2nd all time in points scored, etc., but he is never even considered in the discussion for the greatest players ever, because he never got over the hump.

First, he is wrong - nobody is talking about Stevens like he has won a bunch of championships. They are simply giving him due praise for taking a team without its two best players to the ECF (and possibly the Finals). It's obvious other coaches are jealous of him and the fact that he doesn't care about accolades probably angers them more.

Second, when was it ever mentioned that Stevens was being considered an all-time great? He is only in his 5th season and the team has improved under him each year. While some guys have had it easy (Kerr, Lue, Spoelstra, Jackson, etc), Stevens is methodically working his way from the bottom up. We praise rising young players with immense potential who haven't won anything; the same is just being done with a coach in this case. To deny Stevens' potential to possibly win championships would be short-sighted.

You haven't been paying attention to the national media.  A lot of them have most definitely elevated Stevens into the super elite coaching class, despite the fact that he hasn't even made a Finals and through game 1 still has a losing record in the playoffs.

Which, when given actual context, should carry about zero weight.

Maybe, maybe not. 

There are 13 coaches in NBA history that have a 60% win percentage in the playoffs.  3 of them have less than 50 playoff games: Blatt, Westhead, and van Breda Kolff.  Of the others, Lue, Costello, and Bird have less than 60 playoff games.  The others are Kerr, Jackson, Kundla, Cunningham, Riley, Popovich, and Spoelstra.  Of all of the top 13, Blatt, van Breda Kolff, and Bird are the only ones to have not won a title.

14 and 15 on the list are Daly and Auerbach.  They are followed by Tommy, KC Jones, and Buddy Jeannette, again all title winners.  Bryon Scott and Randy Wittman round out the top 20 (no titles for them and Wittman only has 21 games).

Now sure 1 title run and it can change the whole perception, say like someone like Rick Carlisle who is 58-62 overall, but that 1 16-5 playoff season changes how is viewed.  But I guess that is the point.  Stevens may never win a title.  If he never wins a title, he will probably end up viewed like Jerry Sloan rather than the guys that win.  It may not be fair, but it is reality. 

Stevens is an excellent coach and has done a great job, but the reality is he hasn't won anything and putting him in the same class as the legends of the sport is in fact premature.