Top 3 Greatest Coaches Ever

[MRN]

They were talking about it on ESPN, and I thought I would ask some people.

My top 3:

1.Phil Jackson
2.Red Auerbach
3.Pat Riley

What are your's?

[Kuzzy Powers]

1. Red
2. Phil
3. Sloan

Check that.. I never even seen Red coach so I cant make that call.

1. Phil Jackson
2. Jerry Sloan
3. Pat Riley

[Mit]

1. Phil Jackson
2. Pat Riley
3. Jerry Sloan

[ralaw]

Going by championships won it has to be Jackson. People like to downgrade Jackson for inheriting Jordan/Pippen and Kobe/Shaq, but they lose sight of the fact that he turned them into into champions.

[Esjay]

Truth.

Phil is a great coach, but he did have the luxury of inheriting great teams. Red created his dynasty.

That makes Red a better GM than Phil which we already know and which isn't the question.

1. Phil
2. Greg Popovich
3. Jerry Sloan

[Esjay]

You can make the case that Dean Smith turned Jordan into a champion, since his first championship and clutch shot were both at UNC.

Also, Kobe+Phil without Shaq or Pau Gasol wasn't exactly pretty. So you can make a case that big men have made Kobe a champion.

That makes little sense. Did Dean Smith take the shot Jordan's freshman year? No. Jordan had champion in him from the day he picked up a basketball, nobody (besides MJ) 'made' him into anything.

No doubt Red was a great coach but I never saw him.

[FirstTimer]

How the hell is Pop in the discussion for GOAT over guys like Red?

Never won back to back titles so the Spurs "dynasty" was simply a run of winning every other year.

Red>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Pop.

[ralaw]

You can make the case that Dean Smith turned Jordan into a champion, since his first championship and clutch shot were both at UNC.

Also, Kobe+Phil without Shaq or Pau Gasol wasn't exactly pretty. So you can make a case that big men have made Kobe a champion.

Those are some decent points, which is why IMO there is not clear way to distinguish who is the greatest coach off all-time. Discussions like this become so trivial and laced with baseless opinion such as the "Red built the Celts" or "Phil had Jordan, Pippen, Shaq, Kobe" arguments. At the end of the day being a successful coach is about x's and o's and being able to deal with personalities and meshing them together and these are things both Red and Phil did exceptionally well. My preference is Jackson simply because I enjoy his laid back and freedom approach, but to each's own.

[Esjay]

How the hell is Pop in the discussion for GOAT over guys like Red?

Never won back to back titles so the Spurs "dynasty" was simply a run of winning every other year.

Red>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Pop.

Red would definitely be 1 or 2 If I ever saw him coach.

[FirstTimer]

Red would definitely be 1 or 2 If I ever saw him coach.

Why limit it to only guys you have seen coach then?

If you know Red is good enough to be 1 or 2 just off general knowledge of history then why limit the list in general to only people you have seen coach? You obviously know enough abort Red to evaluate it and put him at 1 or 2 so how would actually seeing him coach help/hurt your evaluation?

[ralaw]

That was a response to Ralaw saying that Phil made Jordan, Pippen, Kobe, and Shaq into champions. Did Phil Jackson have anything to do with Jordan going iso everytime and hitting game winning shots? no. My point was that Phil was blessed with inheritting players like Jordan, Pippen, Kobe, and Shaq where as Red took his teams and built them with his own hands...thanks for the support I guess? hahah.

You're saying Jackson was blessed with inheriting great players as if Red never had any. How they came to be has nothing to do with whether each coach had all-time greats on their roster. Red was blessed to have some great players as well.

[Kuzzy Powers]

How the hell is Pop in the discussion for GOAT over guys like Red?

Never won back to back titles so the Spurs "dynasty" was simply a run of winning every other year.

Red>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Pop.

Its a case of people not ever getting to see Red coach. Its obviously a lot harder to draw an opinion up that way.

[Senser81]

Its a case of people not ever getting to see Red coach. Its obviously a lot harder to draw an opinion up that way.

Because when the thread says "Top 3 Greatest Coaches Ever", what is really meant is "Top 3 Greatest Coaches seen by Bob Kuzzy".

[FirstTimer]

Its a case of people not ever getting to see Red coach. Its obviously a lot harder to draw an opinion up that way.

Doesn't make any sense..especially considering his response...

What does seeing a coach sitting on the bench have to do with his evaluation of Red's talent as a coach? It's not like we don't have enough sources to evaluate him correctly.

Plus, Esjay says "if he had seen him coach" he'd be 1 or 2...

Huh? How would you know that you would rank him that high if you had seen him coach? The point of leaving him off the list for the "not seeing" him is because you can't fairly evaluate him as you've never seen him. So it's compeltely contradictory to the point to say "well if I had seen him coach he'd be one or two". Based on what?

[Kuzzy Powers]

Because when the thread says "Top 3 Greatest Coaches Ever", what is really meant is "Top 3 Greatest Coaches seen by Bob Kuzzy".

Umm, what?