[Ghost01Participant]

 To me, there are 5 coaches that are on the "elite" level (I hate using that word but I couldn’t think of any other to describe it) that really make differences for their teams. This is obviously among active coaches:

1. Greg Poppovich

2. Tom Thibadeau

3. Doc Rivers

4. Eric Spoelstra

5. Rick Carlisle

Pop is the best at getting the most out of his players, no matter who is out or who is in, he gets consistent play and his team always is among the best in the league.

Thibs is basically the junior version of this, he gets amazing production out of unamazing players, but obviously doesn’t have the championship pedigree that Poppovich has. But his consistency, his scheming, and his defensive knowledge are hard to match.

Rivers is a very very good coach who basically does everything right. His players like him, he’s knowledgable of the game, and its clear the Clippers have vastly improved under him this year.

Spoelstra got a lot of flack at the beginning of the Big 3 era, but there is no doubt his small ball lineups and ball movement scheming on offense have made him one of the top coaches in the league. He may get an asterisk for having LeBron, but he really does a good job with what he has.

Carlisle is also elite to me. His teams are very consistent, he’s won a ring, and he seems like he always gets the most out of his guys.

There are a few names you could argue for this tier, such as Frank Vogel. I’d like to see Vogel do it a bit longer, and for all that he’s done for Indiana’s defense, their offensive game planning is elementary at best. Scotty Brooks has coached talent, but there’s really not a ton of evidence whether or not he’s doing good at it or not. One thing we know is he loves Kendrick Perkins. A few other guys like Terry Stotts and Jeff Hornacek have been great this year, but obviously the body of work isn’t there quite yet. 

[Lotto StudParticipant]

 I’d honestly make a case for Mark Jackson being a top-tier coach.

[Lotto StudParticipant]

 I’d honestly make a case for Mark Jackson being a top-tier coach.

[imAboutDatActionParticipant]

 i would do the opposite.

not a fan of his. 
 

[imAboutDatActionParticipant]

 i would do the opposite.

not a fan of his. 
 

[Hacker90Participant]

Can still shoot the 3 though, ugly form or not 

[Hacker90Participant]

Can still shoot the 3 though, ugly form or not 

[drk3351Participant]

 Frank Vogel IMO.

[drk3351Participant]

 Frank Vogel IMO.

[CynthiaParticipant]

I’d take Vogel over Spoelstra anyday.

[CynthiaParticipant]

I’d take Vogel over Spoelstra anyday.

[Scott42444Participant]

 Yes.  I think Spo is a great coach, but if we are talking about "difference makers", I think the list is really short.  Guys like Pop, Thibs, Doc, and Vogel are "difference makers".  There are a bunch of good coaches, heck Steve Clifford and Jeff Hornacek have made the Bobcats and Suns respectable.  Spo and Carlisle have won titles and Rick won a COY award.  

But true DIFFERENCE MAKERS?  I think the list is much less.  Pop, Thibs, Doc, and Vogel.  Phil Jackson is one if he comes back.  Look at what Pop and Thibs have done with injuries and/or older players who need rest.  I am biased with Thibs because I am a Bulls fan but what he has done this year is pretty unbelievable.  He lost 2 of his top 3 guys and changed the team’s system on the fly to turn Noah into a full-blown top of the key point center and has the Bulls vying for a 3rd/4th seed.  Pop had to put out 20 minutes of Duncan with a NBDL team and they are always still in the mix.  The Clippers traded for Doc for a reason and the fact that the Pacers are on PACE (pardon the pun) for such a historic season (at least defensively) without higher than a 10th pick in his starting lineup is unbelieveable.  Vogel has put himself in that category IMO officially. Of course, Evan Turner was a #2 but he didn’t get them to where they are today.

 

[Scott42444Participant]

 Sorry, I forgot Scott Brooks.  I think he is underrated because he gets a ton of talent handed to him, but he has also developed a lot of that talent on the fly.  Their front office gets the lion’s share of the credit most of the time, but not many peope thought that Harden and Westbrook were going to be taken as high as they were let alone become All-NBA talents.  I think Brooks should get some credit for the development of a lot of the guys he has contributing.  Harden, Ibaka, Reggie Jackson.  Hell, Lamb, Adams, and Perry Jones III have been starting on and off this year and they were brought along at the PERFECT pace to be able to succeed.  Think about how many times the Thunder draft a guy like Perry Jones and everyone is like, "Another great pick by the Thunder!".  But, 27 other teams passed on the guy but Brooks is able to get him to be a spot starter for a team with one of the best records in the NBA.  While working Westbrook into the lineup after injury and still allowing Durant to keep his MVP pace.  He’s good.  He’s really good.  I would probably put him 5th after Pop, Thibs, Doc, Vogel, then Brooks.

[Scott42444Participant]

 Sorry, I forgot Scott Brooks.  I think he is underrated because he gets a ton of talent handed to him, but he has also developed a lot of that talent on the fly.  Their front office gets the lion’s share of the credit most of the time, but not many peope thought that Harden and Westbrook were going to be taken as high as they were let alone become All-NBA talents.  I think Brooks should get some credit for the development of a lot of the guys he has contributing.  Harden, Ibaka, Reggie Jackson.  Hell, Lamb, Adams, and Perry Jones III have been starting on and off this year and they were brought along at the PERFECT pace to be able to succeed.  Think about how many times the Thunder draft a guy like Perry Jones and everyone is like, "Another great pick by the Thunder!".  But, 27 other teams passed on the guy but Brooks is able to get him to be a spot starter for a team with one of the best records in the NBA.  While working Westbrook into the lineup after injury and still allowing Durant to keep his MVP pace.  He’s good.  He’s really good.  I would probably put him 5th after Pop, Thibs, Doc, Vogel, then Brooks.

[Scott42444Participant]

 Yes.  I think Spo is a great coach, but if we are talking about "difference makers", I think the list is really short.  Guys like Pop, Thibs, Doc, and Vogel are "difference makers".  There are a bunch of good coaches, heck Steve Clifford and Jeff Hornacek have made the Bobcats and Suns respectable.  Spo and Carlisle have won titles and Rick won a COY award.  

But true DIFFERENCE MAKERS?  I think the list is much less.  Pop, Thibs, Doc, and Vogel.  Phil Jackson is one if he comes back.  Look at what Pop and Thibs have done with injuries and/or older players who need rest.  I am biased with Thibs because I am a Bulls fan but what he has done this year is pretty unbelievable.  He lost 2 of his top 3 guys and changed the team’s system on the fly to turn Noah into a full-blown top of the key point center and has the Bulls vying for a 3rd/4th seed.  Pop had to put out 20 minutes of Duncan with a NBDL team and they are always still in the mix.  The Clippers traded for Doc for a reason and the fact that the Pacers are on PACE (pardon the pun) for such a historic season (at least defensively) without higher than a 10th pick in his starting lineup is unbelieveable.  Vogel has put himself in that category IMO officially. Of course, Evan Turner was a #2 but he didn’t get them to where they are today.

 

[King CaluchaParticipant]

Wow… Spoelstra 4th? He can manage big personalities… I can give him that. I’d definitely put Carlile or Vogel over him.

[King CaluchaParticipant]

Wow… Spoelstra 4th? He can manage big personalities… I can give him that. I’d definitely put Carlile or Vogel over him.

[Jester87Participant]

You really think Spoelstra’s work is all about managing big personalities? He gave this team a clear identity, with aggressive defense against pick and rolls, pace and space, playing small ball with Chris Bosh consistently playing outside the paint and never seeing any low post possessions. He showed a lot of creativity to build this system, it’s not just about managing personalities. They were a mess in the first big three season, with no logic on offense, just playing tons of isolations. He had a great eureka moment when Bosh injured in 2012 playoffs, seeing the team was playing much better with small lineups and decided to continue that way and made it even more radical. He has to be given credit.

[Jester87Participant]

You really think Spoelstra’s work is all about managing big personalities? He gave this team a clear identity, with aggressive defense against pick and rolls, pace and space, playing small ball with Chris Bosh consistently playing outside the paint and never seeing any low post possessions. He showed a lot of creativity to build this system, it’s not just about managing personalities. They were a mess in the first big three season, with no logic on offense, just playing tons of isolations. He had a great eureka moment when Bosh injured in 2012 playoffs, seeing the team was playing much better with small lineups and decided to continue that way and made it even more radical. He has to be given credit.

[King CaluchaParticipant]

Yeah… but top 5? If you see the quality of players he has on the roster, the team should have the best record in the league even without D-Wade. The system became sort of predictable if not for Lebron, who is a beast and can’t be stop even double-teamed.

[the I in winParticipant]

I agree with you except that the Heat should have the best record, I think the Pacers depth and more traditional size puts them in a better position to win the regular season (not the mention being in the east with the Heat, something no other high level team can say).

At the very least Carlisle and Vogel over Spoelstra and probably a few more.

[the I in winParticipant]

I agree with you except that the Heat should have the best record, I think the Pacers depth and more traditional size puts them in a better position to win the regular season (not the mention being in the east with the Heat, something no other high level team can say).

At the very least Carlisle and Vogel over Spoelstra and probably a few more.

[samosasParticipant]

Coaching good players precludes you from being a good coach?  How many titles does he have to win before you would consider him a good coach?

[samosasParticipant]

Coaching good players precludes you from being a good coach?  How many titles does he have to win before you would consider him a good coach?

[Jester87Participant]

I don’t really care about rankings, I don’t like them, I think they dumb down discussions, so I’m not saying he’s the 4th, 1st, 10th or 20th. I’m just saying he’s a competent coach and his impact on the team goes well beyond dealing with big personalities. He gave his team a well defined identity and that specific system he created, in my opinion, allows his team to fulfill their potential. Also, I do believe most of the times it’s not a matter of how good a coach is, but more of how much his philosophy, his schemes and his game are suited for the players he has in his roster (especially for systems coaches, while obviously it doesn’t apply to more flexible coaches). I don’t think anybody could argue that Phil Jackson is a better coach than Mike D’Antoni, but I firmly believe P-Jax wouldn’t have the same results D’Antoni had with that Suns’ roster. That team was perfect for D’Antoni’s game, but they would’ve been flat out terrible playing triple post offense, some of those guys weren’t made for it. It’s just an example, but I could say the same for the Heat. Thibs is a great coach and as you can see from my avatar, I’m a big fan. But his defensive system, while usually really efficient, wouldn’t have been the best for Miami. Not saying a bad one, but not as efficient as their super aggressive blitz the pick and roll ball handler scheme is. This team is small, so they need to be aggressive to make up for lack of size with speed. If they played a more conservative style they would be much more vulnerable. And so on.

Maybe another coach could do even better, but if they played basketball like it was a pick up game they wouldn’t win rings, that’s for sure. We’ve seen many teams loaded with many all stars and great talents fail because they never found the right chemistry and never had good organization. Hasn’t this years Brooklyn taught anything? They started playing better when they found some chemistry. Do you think the Bobcats are more talented than Detroit or Cleveland? Coaching matters a lot. The Heat themselves are the biggest proof, there’s no way they would’ve lost the finals against Dallas had they played like they do now. Instead they just run tons of predictable isolations and Carlisle was pretty smart mixing a lot of zone and hybrid defense that drove them crazy.

[Jester87Participant]

I don’t really care about rankings, I don’t like them, I think they dumb down discussions, so I’m not saying he’s the 4th, 1st, 10th or 20th. I’m just saying he’s a competent coach and his impact on the team goes well beyond dealing with big personalities. He gave his team a well defined identity and that specific system he created, in my opinion, allows his team to fulfill their potential. Also, I do believe most of the times it’s not a matter of how good a coach is, but more of how much his philosophy, his schemes and his game are suited for the players he has in his roster (especially for systems coaches, while obviously it doesn’t apply to more flexible coaches). I don’t think anybody could argue that Phil Jackson is a better coach than Mike D’Antoni, but I firmly believe P-Jax wouldn’t have the same results D’Antoni had with that Suns’ roster. That team was perfect for D’Antoni’s game, but they would’ve been flat out terrible playing triple post offense, some of those guys weren’t made for it. It’s just an example, but I could say the same for the Heat. Thibs is a great coach and as you can see from my avatar, I’m a big fan. But his defensive system, while usually really efficient, wouldn’t have been the best for Miami. Not saying a bad one, but not as efficient as their super aggressive blitz the pick and roll ball handler scheme is. This team is small, so they need to be aggressive to make up for lack of size with speed. If they played a more conservative style they would be much more vulnerable. And so on.

Maybe another coach could do even better, but if they played basketball like it was a pick up game they wouldn’t win rings, that’s for sure. We’ve seen many teams loaded with many all stars and great talents fail because they never found the right chemistry and never had good organization. Hasn’t this years Brooklyn taught anything? They started playing better when they found some chemistry. Do you think the Bobcats are more talented than Detroit or Cleveland? Coaching matters a lot. The Heat themselves are the biggest proof, there’s no way they would’ve lost the finals against Dallas had they played like they do now. Instead they just run tons of predictable isolations and Carlisle was pretty smart mixing a lot of zone and hybrid defense that drove them crazy.

[Jester87Participant]

Sorry double post

[Jester87Participant]

Sorry double post

[King CaluchaParticipant]

Yeah… but top 5? If you see the quality of players he has on the roster, the team should have the best record in the league even without D-Wade. The system became sort of predictable if not for Lebron, who is a beast and can’t be stop even double-teamed.

[theprophetParticipant]

it may be early, but at least this year you have to look at what hornacek’s doing

[theprophetParticipant]

it may be early, but at least this year you have to look at what hornacek’s doing

[MrManalo43Participant]

all of these names are great no doubt, but Jeff Hornacek is my candidate for Coach of the Year. I’m still amazed at how the Suns are even in the playoff race. He’s a keeper for the Suns.

To be in the playoff race in the west, even if it’s the 8th seed, this man has done more with less and deserves it. not an upper echelon coach. the guys mentioned above are better, but COY candidates are usually guys who bring teams past the expectations through a big improvement and surprise people. 

I mean, Terry Stotts has also improved their record, doing so with a better record, but he’s got 2 LEGIT all-stars with the perfect role players. Hornacek has 1 borderline all-star and a cast of misfits (not diminishing any of them, especially Dragic Green and the Morris twins). I’d definitely give the award to Hornacek for 2013-14 tho.

[MrManalo43Participant]

all of these names are great no doubt, but Jeff Hornacek is my candidate for Coach of the Year. I’m still amazed at how the Suns are even in the playoff race. He’s a keeper for the Suns.

To be in the playoff race in the west, even if it’s the 8th seed, this man has done more with less and deserves it. not an upper echelon coach. the guys mentioned above are better, but COY candidates are usually guys who bring teams past the expectations through a big improvement and surprise people. 

I mean, Terry Stotts has also improved their record, doing so with a better record, but he’s got 2 LEGIT all-stars with the perfect role players. Hornacek has 1 borderline all-star and a cast of misfits (not diminishing any of them, especially Dragic Green and the Morris twins). I’d definitely give the award to Hornacek for 2013-14 tho.

[TenSecondTomParticipant]

 Jeff Hornacek has basically revamped Mike D’Antoni’s system and made it much more easy to play defense as well. With an up-tempo, high volume 3 style offense with Dragic at the helm supported by athletes all around him plus a defensive scheme that actually works in Phoenix, Jeff could eventually reach that top tier in a short period of time if the front office plays their cards right and build a nice team around Dragic and co.

[TenSecondTomParticipant]

 Jeff Hornacek has basically revamped Mike D’Antoni’s system and made it much more easy to play defense as well. With an up-tempo, high volume 3 style offense with Dragic at the helm supported by athletes all around him plus a defensive scheme that actually works in Phoenix, Jeff could eventually reach that top tier in a short period of time if the front office plays their cards right and build a nice team around Dragic and co.

[the I in winParticipant]

The fact that the team is centered around Dragic is a testament to Hornacek, imagine if he had a franchise level talent.

[the I in winParticipant]

The fact that the team is centered around Dragic is a testament to Hornacek, imagine if he had a franchise level talent.

[i’m jus so offendedParticipant]

 Hornacek and Brad Stevens have that potential. Vogel should be on the original list. Look at the player development. George = potential based draft pick and actually realizing it. Roy Hibbert into an All Star and potential Defensive POY. Born Ready into a borderline All Star.

[i’m jus so offendedParticipant]

 Hornacek and Brad Stevens have that potential. Vogel should be on the original list. Look at the player development. George = potential based draft pick and actually realizing it. Roy Hibbert into an All Star and potential Defensive POY. Born Ready into a borderline All Star.

[JoeWolf1]

 Adleman is an elite coach in my mind. He’s got 1000 wins and could very well have two rings if it wasn’t for MJ and Shaq. His stint in Minne hasn’t worked out, but he knows the game as well as anyone and has a hell of a resume…chip or not.

[JoeWolf1]

 Adleman is an elite coach in my mind. He’s got 1000 wins and could very well have two rings if it wasn’t for MJ and Shaq. His stint in Minne hasn’t worked out, but he knows the game as well as anyone and has a hell of a resume…chip or not.

[Author]

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