Who would you want to coach your NBA team?

[Kingdom]

I saw them debating this on espnnews yesterday. We all know the NBA runs through coaches like hockey does, for the most part. One panelist suggested they don't even really matter since it's a player's league. Maybe that's true, maybe it's not. But let's vote and see who you guys would want.

(note: currently active in the profession)

[NYgiantsfan5689]

I don't know much about the NBA, but I do know that Doc Rivers was able to do something many coaches fail miserably at: getting 3 standalone superstars to all buy into the same system, give up a few individual statistics, and play as one cohesive unit to win a championship. And to that I give him a ton of credit.

[browntown653]

I'd go with Popovich, just does an incredible job year after year with the Spurs.

[DirtyKash]

1. Popovich
2. Jackson
3. Riley
4. Rivers
...
3,405. Saunders

[Kingdom]

6,505: Tie
Tim Floyd, Michael Curry, PJ Carlisimo

[Porter]

I cant really notice the Bill Simmons feel to that list. *end sarcasm*

[browntown653]

Nate McMillan? Really, Porter?

[Witlon]

I'm on the coach of the year's bandwagon, personally.

[Kingdom]

Lebron will do that for you.

[GiantsFanatic]

I believe NBA coaching in general is overated, because its a player driven league, you don't win championships with avg-good players, you win it with great players. Jackson wasn't winning shit without Jordan and Pippen, and Kobe and Shaq(and still hasn't won shit since they traded Shaq away).
Riley wasn't winning anything without Magic and Kareem, and he didn't win in NY(mainly because of Jordan) and in Mia(his first stint) and won in his second time in Mia because of D-Wade and Shaq. Point is the coach isn't "great" coach when he has 2 HOF players on his team.
So to answer the question, I would say neither, as long as I have 2 great players on my team I could care less who is the coach.

[nick]

I tend to agree with GFanatic, but... George Karl, Van Gundy, and some others probably dispute that theory.

[GiantsFanatic]

Coaches in general would dispute this theory, because its pretty much stating a fact that they didn't do shit without these players, which there egos won't accept it.

[Kingdom]

I think Popovich is an exception and McMillan has done a very nice job in Portland with all the young talent.

[GiantsFanatic]

As much as I like Popavich, he didn't do anything with the Spurs with Robinson until he got Duncan, and since Robinson retired, he now has Parker.

[realmofotalk]

I thought Doc Rivers did a nice job in his first year with the Magic, when he had just Darrell Armstrong, Ben Wallace, Corey Maggette, Ron Mercer, and scrubs to work with. I lost some respect for Doc after his Celtics tanked in an attempt to land Oden or Durant.