The 20 Greatest NBA Coaches #7

[penbeast0]

The 20 Greatest NBA Coaches Poll
1. Red Auerbach
2. Phil Jackson
3. Pat Riley
4. Greg Popovich
5. Larry Brown
6. Chuck Daly


My personal favorite -- Doug Moe?

Lenny WIlkens 32 years (8 with Seattle) / 1x Coach of the Year 1 championship (Seattle)
Career NBA 2487 1332 1155 .536

Don Nelson 29 years (11 with Milwaukee) / 3x Coach of the Year / no championships
Career NBA 2316 1309 1007 .565

Jerry Sloan 23 years (20 with Utah) / no championships
Career NBA 1888 1137 751 .602

Jack Ramsay 21 Years (10 with Portland) / 1 championship (Portland)
Career NBA 1647 864 783 .525

Red Holzman 18 years (14 with Knicks) / 1x Coach of the Year / 2 championships (New York)
Career NBA 1300 696 604 .535

Alex Hannum 16 years (never more than 3 with a team) / 2x Coach of Year (one ABA) / 3 championships (St. Louis Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, ABA Oakland Oaks)
Career TOT 1213 649 564 .535

Slick Leonard 14 years (12 with Indiana)/ 3 championships (Indiana ABA)

Rudy Tomjanovich 13 years (12 with Houston)/ 2 championships (Houston)
Career NBA 943 527 416 .559

John Kundla 11 years (11 with Minnesota)/ 5 championships (1 BAA)
Career TOT 725 423 302 .583

Bill Sharman 10 years (5 with LA Lakers) / 2x Coach of the Year (1 ABA) / 2 championships (1 Utah ABA, 1 LA Lakers)
Career TOT 819 466 353 .569


Anyone else that people feel strongly enough about to vote for as their choice for 6th greatest coach of all time?

Code: Select all

HOF Coaches: Red Auerbach
Hubie Brown
Larry Brown
Chuck Daly
Alex Hannum
Red Holtzman
Phil Jackson
John Kundla
Jack Ramsay
Pat Riley
Bill Sharman
Jerry Sloan
Lenny Wilkens



Chaanging to undecided . . . again unless someone can give me a reason Hannum didn't stay anywhere longer than 3 years (other than difficulties with players and management)

[dalekjazz]

I think Frank Layden was a better coach than Sloan. Layden turned the Jazz into a playoff team, won COY in 1984, something Sloan has never won. Layden also took an inexperienced Jazz team to the second round the first two years they went to the playoffs and was head coach when the Jazz took the Lakers of Magic, Kareem, etc, to 7 games in the second round when the Jazz were expected to be swept. During his tenure Mark Eaton, an unheralded fourth round pick, was developed into a defensive beast.

I believe Jerry Sloan is somewhat overrated. He has never won COY, never won a championship, never been head coach of an Olympic team, and never coached an all-star. He is considered great because of his longevity as head coach of the Utah Jazz. However, Utah is a conservative state resistant to change, so I don't consider it a great achievement. Sloan is considered a great defensive coach. He was a great defensive coach in the 1980's and early 1990's when physical play was allowed. But he has failed to adjust to the rule changes. The Jazz are usually among the leaders in fouls committed and are poor in defensive rotations and defending the pick and roll. In a big market Sloan probably would have been fired after his first season as head coach when the second seeded Jazz were swept by the seventh seeded Warriors. He definitely would have been fired after his second season after the fourth seeded Jazz blew a big fourth quarter lead at home in the deciding game against the fifth seeded Suns in the first round.

[pancakes3]

Holtzman. In an era of Wilt, Russel, Alcindor, West, Baylor, Oscar, Unseld, etc. Red managed to win 2 rings. He took it all twice with 2nd tier stars like Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, Walt Bellamy, and Bill Bradley? No top tier superstars, no once-a-generation center, and only one all-nba 2nd teamer on either team... this man did more with less.

Sloan deserves consideration but he wasted about 15 years of prime stockton/malone to win a championship. Holtzman took it to the house twice with less talent.

[SuigintouEV]

Holtzman. In an era of Wilt, Russel, Alcindor, West, Baylor, Oscar, Unseld, etc. Red managed to win 2 rings. He took it all twice with 2nd tier stars like Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, Walt Bellamy, and Bill Bradley? No top tier superstars, no once-a-generation center, and only one all-nba 2nd teamer on either team... this man did more with less.

Sloan deserves consideration but he wasted about 15 years of prime stockton/malone to win a championship. Holtzman took it to the house twice with less talent.

Err, while I don't particularily respect the opinion of writerman... for him to call a guy the greatest PG ever does mean something to me. Clyde must have been a hell of a player.

Anyways, I don't know who to vote for, so I won't. I'd hate to do anyone injustice.

[Harison]

Red Holzman

[Roger Murdock]

I like Lenny Wilkins here. Coached while playing, has a championship, most wins and most losses, 35 years of coaching, and coached some very good teams.

[Benjammin]

I'll go with Red Holzman and nominate Rudy T. to be on the list to be considered.

[penbeast0]

I think I have to go with John Kundla here. 3 factors.

(1) Single team success (the dynasty issue). Kundla has it all over the like of Holzman, Slick Leonard, or Rudy T in terms of dynastic dominance

(2) Multiple team success. Clearly Alex Hannum here with multiple rings in multiple cities though he has the Larry Brown issue of not sticking around (and in his case, it was rarely his choice I've heard). Don Nelson and Wilkens also show up here.

(3) Longevity. Lenny Wilkens and Don Nelson dominate here with Jerry Sloan having the longest single team tenure.

[tkb]

Ive got Holzman here.

[The Explorer]

Holzman