RealGM

Welcome to the 4th Annual RealGM Coaching Value Index.

What is being ranked: Which current coach of an NBA team would you want for a random collection of NBA talent?

The nuance I'm aiming for in the question is that the coach starts out with a random selection of NBA talent (so voters don't necessarily imagine the coach with that coach's current team or with the voter's current team). That means they could just as easily be in a developmental situation or a competitive situation. Also, there is an opportunity for the coach to be there long term. That means that things like age and loyalty could play a factor.

In short, how would you rank the coaches based on their coaching ability, interpersonal skills, age, loyalty, big-game experience, etc.?

Or another way to think of it: Who would you pay the most to come to your team to coach before knowing who the players are?

To nominate the next coach you'd like to see added to the survey, write something like this:
Nominate: John Kuester

If there is a tie in nominations, preference will go to the coach more highly ranked the previous year. If neither coach was in the previous year, there will be a 10-minute flash-survey to decide who will get added to the next poll.

*Each poll will run for 1 day. However, there will likely be multiple occasions where I am late making a thread due to real world responsibilities. I humbly ask for your forgiveness in advance.
.....................
In the initial poll, I put the 10 of the top 11 from last year (minus Quin Snyder).

2022-23 Coaching Rankings:
1) Erik Spoelstra (MIA) - 45%
2) Steve Kerr (GSW) - 38%
3) Gregg Popovich (SAS) - 30%
4) Mike Budenholzer (MIL) - 28%
5) Nick Nurse (TOR) - 28%
6) Taylor Jenkins (MEM) - 44%
7) Rick Carlisle (IND) - 33%
8) Mike Malone (DEN) - 24%
9) Tyronn Lue (LAC) - 36%
10) Will Hardy (UTA) - 26%
11) Mike Brown (SAC) - 38%
12) Monty Williams (PHX) - 30%
13) J.B. Bickerstaff (CLE) - 25%
14) Willie Green (NO) - 42%
15) Joe Mazzulla (BOS) - 33%
16) Mark Daigneault (OKC) - 35%
17) Chris Finch (MIN) - 27%
18) Tom Thibodeau (NYK) - 44%
19) Jason Kidd (DAL) - 29%
20) Doc Rivers (PHI) - 38%
21) Nate McMillan (ATL) - 38%
22) Billy Donovan (CHI) - 54% (out of 9)
23) Jacque Vaughn (BRK) - 40% (out of 8)
24) Jamahl Mosley (ORL) - 61% (out of 7)
25) Wes Unseld Jr. (WAS) - 40% (out of 6)
26) Dwane Casey (DET) - 63% (out of 5)
27) Steve Clifford (CHA) - 47% (out of 4)
28) Darvin Ham (LAL) - 69% (out of 3)

Coaches yet to be added to the survey:
None!

Both are pretty much brand new head coaches that hasn't accomplished much yet. I'll take Chauncey, I'm biased.

I have no reason why the Trailblazers hired Billups. Just like the Nash hire and Jason Kidd's first hire, these are heady point guards who haven't had the opportunity to learn the complex task of coaching. All three skipped steps and it showed each time. The Trailblazers were overachieving year in year out with Terry Stotts. You don't think he could get this team with Lillard, Nurkic, Grant, and Simons easily into the playoffs? Then there is the Gary Payton II issue. Yes, that's a problem with team doctors, but it is also the coach's responsibility and Chauncey Billups dropped the ball. I really think he needs to get fired and learn the craft of coaching under a legitimate coach. Yes, he's been coached by some greats, but being coached as a player and being mentored as a coach are two completely different things.

Still, I voted Billups at #29. Why? Because the Houston Rockets look like complete chaos out there. Their games legitimately remind me of Parks & Rec games but with talented adults. There is no semblance of defense or discipline. There are the following tweets coming out:





Maybe Billups would struggle just as much with a team led by Jalen Green and KPJ. But you know what? We don't know that. The Pistons' best player has been injured/out most of the year. That's why they are near the bottom. San Antonio has purged itself of nearly all its talent in the Wemby sweepstakes. That's why they're near the bottom. The Rockets are healthy and don't seem interested in playing organized basketball. That's why they're at the very bottom. They are young, sure, but so are a lot of other teams. This lies at the coach's feet.

Vote: Billups.

I voted Silas. I think his players are young and dumb, so I don't hold him responsible. His players are putting forward good effort in the games I've seen despite not knowing what they are doing. I hope he gets a chance to grow this team.

The Rockets are such a random collection of talent. Sengun does not fit at all. Jabari is a hot mess at the moment. Jalen Green is amazingly inefficient. They don't shoot well, they don't defend well. But I don't think the failure is on Silas, at least not yet. If they still look like this in a couple of years I may change my mind.

Any coach that can keep KPJ out of jail for a season has some cred.

I'm impressed that just to secure the 27th spot of our famed RealGM Coaching Value Index Steve Clifford had Charlotte winning 4 in a row putting their precious tank in jeopardy.

As for this last round, I'm voting for the winner of tonight's Portland - Houston game! It should be an interesting watch with the 29th spot at stake.

Vote: Silas. I don't even know what he's supposed to do with that team, and I'm not 100% convinced that he's not on orders to tank. Portland is in no man's land right now

Silas refusal to not only play Sengun, but run the offense through him automatically makes him the worst coach.

Rockets stumbled into a guy who has potential to be an all star but they want to hand the keys to inefficient chuckers in Green and KPJ.

I still can’t believe the Spurs didn’t draft Sengun. He was right there for the taking

Wild that these 2 coaches played last night. Billups wanted this vote bad and told Dame to go get it for him.

I thought it was weird when some Blazers fans turned on Stotts and management eventually fired him. Every year they gave him a slightly different version of the same roster: 2 small guards, 1-way wings, Nurk. After 2018 they nudged the offense further away from defense in an attempt to add more offense. The Blazers produced top 5 offenses whenever they were healthy, but the defense went from average to garbage and everyone seemed so surprised that the Blazers got worse and decided Stotts no longer was helpful.

Now we have Billups instead of Stotts, Anfernee instead of CJ, and the Blazers are back to their top 5 offense bottom 5 defensive selves. I don't have strong feelings on Billups' coaching yet, but I do know the 2023 Blazers feel exactly like the the 2020 and 2021 teams...and I don't think that it's a coaching issue.

(to be fair I do think the front office is at least trying to get defensive wings back on the roster this season. The problem is now Nurk is slower and that opens up another defensive problem.)

Where are the kinks to the other polls

AussieCeltic wrote:Silas refusal to not only play Sengun, but run the offense through him automatically makes him the worst coach.

Rockets stumbled into a guy who has potential to be an all star but they want to hand the keys to inefficient chuckers in Green and KPJ.

I still can’t believe the Spurs didn’t draft Sengun. He was right there for the taking

He's seriously wasting Sengun talent by not running the offense through him. Can't wait for Silas to get fired so we can see full capabilities of Senguin who I think will be multiple times all-star.

floppymoose wrote:I voted Silas. I think his players are young and dumb, so I don't hold him responsible. His players are putting forward good effort in the games I've seen despite not knowing what they are doing. I hope he gets a chance to grow this team.

The Rockets are such a random collection of talent. Sengun does not fit at all. Jabari is a hot mess at the moment. Jalen Green is amazingly inefficient. They don't shoot well, they don't defend well. But I don't think the failure is on Silas, at least not yet. If they still look like this in a couple of years I may change my mind.

How does Sengun not fit? I think he's their best player and if Silas would run the offense through him the team would look much better.