Next Generation Championship Coaches

by kickbrass on Apr 12, 2009 11:53 AM PDT

After seeing the news that the Wizards are talking with Flip Saunders about their coaching vacancy, I immediately thought to myself, "that's a move of a team that doesn't have championship aspirations." It seems like there are a lot of coaches in this league who have been around a long time but never gotten their teams to the top. In fact, I checked to see what coaches had won a championship since 1987 -- a span of 22 years -- and the list is surprisingly small:

1) Pat Riley 1987-88, 2006

2) Chuck Daly, 1989-1990

3) Phil Jackson 1991-93, 1996-98, 2000-02

4) Rudy Tomjonavich 1994-95

5) Gregg Poppovich 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007

6) Larry Brown 2003

7) Doc Rivers 2008

Most of these coaches are either already retired or about to be (the exceptions being Doc Rivers and Gregg Poppovich.) Assuming that these two are the only other ones who stick around during our "championship window" of the next 10 years or so, who else could end up on this list?

My argument would be that almost-been-there coaches like Rick Adelman, Jerry Sloan, Flip Saunders, Byron Scott, and Jeff Van Gundy don't belong on this list. Mike D'Antoni is a borderline case. Here is my list of potential championship-caliber coaches over the next 10 years, alongside Gregg Poppovich and Doc Rivers:

1) Nate McMillan. I am so grateful that we have tasked him to take us to the Promised Land. I strongly believe that he has what it takes.

2) Mike Brown. He's an underrated aspect to why Cleveland is doing well right now.

3) Stan Van Gundy. A front-runner for COY this year, this guy has always impressed me and I think he can get a good team over the top.

4) Avery Johnson. Call me crazy, but if he comes back I could see him taking another team all the way.

If I were a rebuilding franchise, I would be searching for the next Mike Brown or Nate McMillan, not trying to rehire a has-been like Flip Saunders. Portland tried that with Mike Dunleavy in the late-90s/early 00s and it got us close but not close enough.

Any other nominations for coaches to fear in the next decade?

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Comments

Jeff Van Gundy > Nate McMillan.

by AK1984 on Apr 12, 2009 12:05 PM PDT reply actions

I guess we can agree to disagree

by kickbrass on Apr 12, 2009 12:12 PM PDT up reply actions

I don't see it.

Detailed, steady, respected. Three qualities shared by the winners absent in JVG but present in Nate.

Bedge or go home.

by Ojala John on Apr 12, 2009 1:30 PM PDT up reply actions

i think you're right, jvg gundy commands respect.

just kidding. nate is better.

dinasour type of guys choir boys

by mittsabishy on Apr 12, 2009 9:53 PM PDT up reply actions

Stan is like the next Phil, whining to the media.

Not going to say he’s a bad coach though.

I’m really interested to see if McMillan can get into other coach’s heads in the playoffs. He has passed the developing team coach test with high marks.

Can he nullify other coach’s moves in a seven game serious and make them hiccup up a game they were suppose to win? If he fails at this he has no excuse. He was just too good of a developing team coach. It has left him with every piece he could need.

by staylost on Apr 12, 2009 12:37 PM PDT reply actions

He was really hilarious ragging on his own team the other night. Quite enjoyable.

Pontiff of the Pryz for Prez Posse...

by timbo on Apr 12, 2009 2:34 PM PDT up reply actions

You asked for it

4) Avery Johnson. Call me crazy, but if he comes back I could see him taking another team all the way.

You’re crazy. Avery is the most underratedly bad coach in the league.

by Royster on Apr 12, 2009 12:40 PM PDT reply actions

+1

Bedge or go home.

by Ojala John on Apr 12, 2009 1:32 PM PDT up reply actions

His players HATE him

when you win 67 games and your players STILL don’t respect you, ya got problems.

Blazer's fan since '84, Spurs fan when they are not playing Portland.

↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → B A B A START.

by HurraKane212 on Apr 12, 2009 2:01 PM PDT up reply actions

when you win 67 games

you’re doing something right. Not his fault his team got jobbed by the refs in ‘06. I’ll give you that he may be a Scott Skiles/Byron Scott type who doesn’t have the patience to build longevity with a veteran team.

by kickbrass on Apr 12, 2009 2:04 PM PDT up reply actions

Was it not his fault when his team was woefully unprepared against the Warriors?

And again vs the Hornets?

That Steve Nash is exactly the same as Kirk Hinrich, but worse.
by NBA Observer on Apr 8, 2009 12:23 PM CDT

by Ozzie Montana on Apr 12, 2009 2:32 PM PDT up reply actions

Yep, it's lame that folks overrate poor in-game tacticians like Avery Johnson, Doc Rivers, ...

and Mike Brown. Yet, at least true legends like Jerry Sloan, Gregg Popovich, and Phil Jackson don’t get underlooked by most folks. On the other hand, however, Rick Adelman, Rick Carlisle, and the Van Gundy brothers — as well as George Karl, although he’s certainly got his flaws — frequently don’t receive enough credit for their coaching skills.

For me, there’s at least five dudes out there who I’d definitely fire Nate McMillian if they wanted his job. Those guys are Jeff Van Gundy, Mike Fratello, Doug Collins, Tom Thibodeau, and Mike Budenholzer. My only qualms with Fratello and Collins are age, so they’d be a notch below the other three men on my list.

by AK1984 on Apr 12, 2009 3:00 PM PDT up reply actions

Oh, and with regards to the Chicago Bulls, John Paxson should've hired Phil D. Johnson ...

in lieu of Vinny Del Negro. Although Johnson is in his late 60s, he’d’ve been a nice short-term stopgap at the head coaching position — especially compared to Del Negro, who’s a hack — plus, he could’ve potentially brought along a protégé in Tyrone Corbin as the lead assistant on his staff.

by AK1984 on Apr 12, 2009 3:18 PM PDT up reply actions

It IS his fault

however, that with 4 games to figure out how to stop one perimeter player, he was unable to come up with a single way to slow that guy down.

Refs can job you out of one or two games, but it’s not like that Heat team was the 86 celtics. There were 1.5 guys that you had to defend on that team, and he couldn’t come up with a defensive scheme to stop that, regardless of the refs. That’s a sign of poor coaching.

Plus, you had his idiotic decision to change the starting lineup of a 67 win team to match up with the warriors and his woeful handling of Devin Harris. And how can we forget his decision to bench Kidd at the end of a game last year because he “wanted more shooters out there?”

The guy got handed the best situation that any new coach outside of Flip Saunders has ever received, and he managed to completely destroy that team’s long term prospects within three years.

by Royster on Apr 12, 2009 2:52 PM PDT up reply actions

he inherited a good team already.

The most hated Blazer is like the least hottest supermodel - Sabonis4Ever

by Philthyanimal on Apr 12, 2009 5:13 PM PDT up reply actions

I think some current assistant coaches will turn out to be great head coaches

Boston’s defensive coordinator Tom Thibodeau could be one who lands a head coaching gig next season. Dwayne Casey is pretty good. Our assistant coaches. And so on.

Others will make a comeback, e.g. Flip Saunders is rumored to take over the Wizards who could be good next season in the east with a high draft pick added to their “big 3” and jump like 20 wins (not that I’m very high on Saunders, too nervous).

But Nate has a chance to establish himself among the top coaches in the league.

Greg Oden = Robert Parish (HOF, 4x NBA champion, 9x NBA All-Star). The only other rookie with more than 500 points, 400 rebounds, and 65 blocks in under 1400 minutes played. Since 1946.

by Norsktroll on Apr 12, 2009 2:04 PM PDT reply actions

Thibbodeau

Good call — I bet he will shine if given a chance with a decent up-and-coming team.

by kickbrass on Apr 12, 2009 2:06 PM PDT up reply actions

I'd go with Mike Budenholzer ahead of Tom Thibodeau myself, but only by the slightest of margins.

by AK1984 on Apr 12, 2009 3:02 PM PDT up reply actions

I think if Skiles had teh right players he could win one. He had that Bucks team playing way better than their roster would suggest.

by dario argento on Apr 12, 2009 4:54 PM PDT reply actions

Someone suggested that Skiles has a short shelf life as a coach

Because he’s a hard-nosed screamer behind the scenes, and loses his players quickly. I’m curious if he’s in MIL long enough to find out if that’s true.

In the meantime, he’s done some surprising work with MIL this year, despite their lack of playoffs.

by Timmay! on Apr 12, 2009 4:57 PM PDT up reply actions

He's an impressive band-aid

But, I doubt his ability to get a team over the hump just because he’s poor at managing lineups and is extremely reliant on old veterans when younger, talented guys stay on the bench. Lottery teams just looking to be respectable will continue to give him a job because players who are so fed up with losing will buy into his coaching for 2-3 seasons, then it will all collapse again.

That Steve Nash is exactly the same as Kirk Hinrich, but worse.
by NBA Observer on Apr 8, 2009 12:23 PM CDT

by Ozzie Montana on Apr 12, 2009 5:08 PM PDT up reply actions