Also, it is funny to me that people use the following logic to describe Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich's success: "it doesn't hurt that he had the XX best player on the planet".
That argument is a red herring. Lets get real here; the reason Jordan, Shaq, Kobe and Duncan are considered some of the all-time best is because of their success at winning titles. Yet none of them ever did it without a HOF coach at the helm. In fact, Jordan, Kobe and Shaq all failed at "greatness" until Phil came along. That's a collective 19 years those guys played before winning a title.
In contrast, Jackson won in his 2nd year with the Bulls (Jordan's 7th season with the team) and in his first year with the Lakers (Shaq and Kobe's 8th, and 4th season, respectively). Tim Duncan's success has all occurred under coach Pop.
It is hard to look at those facts and argue that coaching isn't as important as horses.
That argument is a red herring. Lets get real here; the reason Jordan, Shaq, Kobe and Duncan are considered some of the all-time best is because of their success at winning titles. Yet none of them ever did it without a HOF coach at the helm. In fact, Jordan, Kobe and Shaq all failed at "greatness" until Phil came along. That's a collective 19 years those guys played before winning a title.
In contrast, Jackson won in his 2nd year with the Bulls (Jordan's 7th season with the team) and in his first year with the Lakers (Shaq and Kobe's 8th, and 4th season, respectively). Tim Duncan's success has all occurred under coach Pop.
It is hard to look at those facts and argue that coaching isn't as important as horses.
