Post#42 » by limbo » Sun Aug 11, 2019 2:12 pm
I have Pop as my GOAT coach, yes.
Out of the most decorated coaches in league history, he has shown me the most in terms of being able to adapt yet still be successful without straight up overpowering other teams via having superior talent to work with.
With most other candidates, ala Red Auerbach, Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, Steve Kerr(?)... while i commend them for being able to keep egos in check and provide great systems for their stars to flourish, there's still always this sense of ''well yeah, you did what was expected, you have the best team and players in the league, you should be winning every year''... Sometimes the chips just fall into your lap like with Spoelstra. Not that he's a bad coach, but the guy's entire legacy was severely altered just by LeBron, Wade and Bosh deciding they want to play in Miami together... If they decided to join up in Toronto, likely Jay Triano or whoever else would be coaching would be wearing Spo's jewelry now.
Pop was the guy, more than any other coach, that made me say ''he really shouldn't be getting these types of results with what he has to work with''... He really shouldn't be winning a championship in 2003, he really shouldn't be able to consistently turn these NBA journeymen into legit high value role players, he really shouldn't be able to resurrect Boris Diaw's career with a snap of a finger, he really shouldn't be transitioning this smoothly from a Duncan-centric offense into a motion-based 3pt shooting offense and the list goes on.
