Popovich is the best NBA coach of all time.

[Kidd K]

Yes, there's plenty of debate. Phil and Red had great players but Pop has too. You're making it sound like he's won NBA championships with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers roster.

3 les with 28th and later draft picks and his only high draft pick being a slowed down Duncan with a blown out knee is extremely impressive.

Those other coaches didn't have to build around one hobbled player with late draft picks, no free agents, and monetary limitations.

Riley practically stepped right into a super team in LA with Kareem and Magic, and later got Shaq through a lopsided bailout trade in Miami. Not to mention tons of great free agents joined immediately after so he never actually had to build that team up (which is why Miami is so hated right now. It was put together in a single offseason, not overtime. Just like the last Heat team was).

Jackson stepped into the Bulls after Jordan was already in his prime and they just drafted Pippen, a great young player with an excellent upside. They also just got Horace Grant, then signed multiple good free agents along the way, and also got a lopsided bailout trade in getting Rodman from SA. Then later steps into another situation, in a team that already has a budding superstar in Kobe, and gets Shaq, the best bigman in the NBA through free agency. What next? Tons of free agents flock to LA to play with Shaq and Kobe to ring grab. Later, he is the beneficiary of another lopsided trade with heavy cash considerations in getting Gasol. They also have functioned WELL above the salary cap, with the highest salary in the NBA for years.


Popovich, on the other hand: Makes the best of a terrible injury-plagued season and just says it and tanks to try and get Duncan, which pays off big. They win a le in 2 years, then his core slowly ages out, so he's forced to retool on the fly with extremely late round draft picks and somehow manages to do it (proper respect to RC Buford in being a huge help to get there too) with guys every other team in the NBA passed on at least once of them to fall all the way down to us in the draft. With the exception of an old and busted up DRob in 2003, the entire team for 2003, 2005, and 2007 les were all dudes we got through the draft or were free agent scrubs nobody wanted, not free agent assets like those other coaches in large, favorable markets were beneficiaries of.

Pop's run is more impressive because it's been a of a lot harder to do. When I look at Jackson and Riley, there are so many things they were beneficiaries of that helped them out tremendously. Teams already in place, free agents joining due to location, money being a non issue in every situation both coaches have been in, etc. Pop and RC Buford have had to do it the hard way. What's going on in Miami right now for example, is what the "easy way" is. If Spoelstra wins a le, I won't consider him a good coach for getting one. If he wins two, I still won't consider him to be a good coach. His situation is insanely favorable to him. Give Pop LeBron, Wade, and Bosh, and there's no way they're losing. Give him Shaq, Kobe, and a host of free agents and he isn't losing. Give him Jordan, MJ, and Grant/Rodman, and he's winning too. Give him Magic/Kareem/Worth, and again, he's getting les.

I don't see Jackson winning with Duncan and that's it. He's a hands-off coach who lets the talent do most of the work. Pop micromanages to make sure he gets the best out of what little talent he has. Pop with tons of talent would crush the league dude.


I'm not saying Jackson and Riley aren't good coaches. . .but I think claiming they're better than Pop just because they have more les is ridiuculous. Their situations have been so favorable it isn't funny. Jackson in particular imo is incredibly overrated. Riley is legit to me despite his "fortune", but Jackson? Worse than both easily.

The Mount Rushmore of coaches starts with either Pop, Riley, or Auerbach. Jackson is the 4th wheel who's chiseled in after the fact and not as good as the first three.

[tesseractive]

If Popovich had been coaching the 1990 Bulls and 2000s Lakers, I wonder if he would have 12 or 13 championship rings by now.

If Pop had been coaching Shaq and Kobe, he would have retired and he'd be sitting on a patio drinking his wine right now. They would have driven him nuts.

On the other hand if he'd had the ability to surround Tim Duncan with talent the way Auerbach did with Russell (no salary cap, etc.), he'd be pushing Auerbach and Tim would be pushing Russell in the all-time lists.

[BadMotorscooter]

I would love to see Phil jackson try and survive through 10+ years with the draft supplying your talent on the majority like Pop has. Pop has had to go Robinson, Sean, Duncan, Parker, Manu, Jackson, Anderson, Splitter, Leonard, Blair,....ect....over the years. Phil Jackson is a great coach but no way he wins the les he has having to try and win and develop through the draft...he's not that type of coach.