Phil Jackson: Most overrated coach of all time of any professional or amateur sports league?

[Phokus]

Don't get me wrong, jackson is clearly a 'good' coach; the lakers and bulls were not as good when he was there (of course the coaches they had were real morons). And compared to Red Auerbach (who had to build and rebuild all those championship celtics teams), he's nothing.

Anyway, i think Red summed it up best in this article:

Jackson says he hopes to overtake Auerbach

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ESPN.com news services


Two of the NBA all-time coaching greats have engaged in a war of words.

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson says he is looking forward to breaking Red Auerbach's NBA record for most titles won by a coach.

Jackson was responding to criticism by Auerbach, who said it's hard to consider Jackson a great coach because he never built a team from scratch. Jackson, who has eight titles as a coach, led Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen with the Bulls and currently has Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal at his disposal with the Lakers.

In his response, Jackson said he is looking forward to breaking the record because of his close relationship with the late Red Holzman, who was Jackson's coach when he played for the Knicks. Auerbach's Celtics and Holzman's Knicks were heated rivals. Jackson considered Holzman his mentor.

"Well, I know Red (Auerbach)," Jackson told The Los Angeles Times. "If you know Red, you know why I'm looking forward to besting his record. I'm doing it in lieu of Red Holzman's death. I'm sure it's a wish he'd have to see me replace (Auerbach)."

Jackson has eight NBA titles as a head coach, six with the Chicago Bulls and two with the Lakers. Auerbach won nine titles as head coach of the Celtics, and won them consecutively.

"I won eight in a row -- that's a little difficult," Auerbach told Bloomberg. "It's a lot harder to do it with one team."

Jackson can tie Auerbach this season. The Lakers are one win away from reaching the NBA Finals, with a Game 7 looming against the Sacramento Kings.

Auerbach said it's hard to consider Jackson a great coach because he's never had to teach young players.

"Most of your great coaches do some teaching and developing of players," Auerbach told Bloomberg News. "Phil may be able to do it, but he hasn't shown it. His teams have been ready-made."

"I concede his point," Jackson told Bloomberg. However, Jackson also said that Auerbach's teams included Hall-of-Famers Tom Heinsohn, Bob Cousy and Bill Russell.

The Celtics have also won seven championships while Auerbach has been in the front office.

Jackson said it was easier to win titles when Auerbach coached because there were fewer teams. Auerbach had said it's easier to win now because there are so many weak teams.

Nevertheless, Auerbach said he admires Jackson, who has been voted NBA Coach of the Year only once in his distinguished career.

"I've seen guys get ready-made teams and butcher it," Auerbach said. "He's certainly not butchering them."

Jackson has won 22 straight playoff series.

More proof college hoops > the NBA. You see, in college hoops, you actually have to earn championships.

 

[NFS4]

He has 8 rings I believe. I think that speaks enough to me. Who cares how or when he won the rings? A championship is a championship.

All you party poopers needs to stand up straight from your bent over position, pull up your pants and walk out of the Lakers locker room.

If you think he's being cocky, so what. Let him be cocky. If he can do it, let him. I can't believe you people are getting all bent out of shape over something as TRIVIAL as this.

 

[Stark]

Phokus,

From reading the first line of your post down through your sig, I have determined that

you are dumb.

 

[Harvey]

Talk to us about it when you have that much accomplishment under your belt. Until then, your talk is cheaper than cheap.

 

[PlatinumGold]

You only need to read 1 or 2 posts by phokus regarding the lakers before you conclude that phokus hates the lakers.

oh well. weak people just hate successful people i guess.

 

[Stark]

BTW,

Red hired Pitino instead of Bird to turn around the franchise. Bird took his team to the finals and would have won it all if Jackson had not started coaching the Lakers that year. Pitino quit in disgrace and the Celtics still have won nothing. Giving the ball to either Pierce or Walker so they can play one on one against their defender is not championship basketball.

 

[DigDug]

What are the odds that two coach greats are named Red. Sounds like some rednekkin' peoples to me.

 

[kt]

Auerbach didn't counter in the fact that the ability of NBA players today are a lot better than the NBA players decades ago.

 

[bonk102]

ok, he's had 4 of the best players of all time, and he has 8 rings, i dont think that speaks too much about his coaching abillity but more about the players he has on his teams

 

[Phokus]

I love pissing off laker fanboys with the truth

 

[FrontlineWarrior]

Red Auerbach won championships back in the day when there were only 8 teams. Big focking deal. Today there are like 29 teams.

Red Auerbach had tons of hall of famers. Bill Russell anyone?

Red is a sorry ass whiner, just like all the Laker haters out there, just like the Porkland Failblazers, San Antonio *rs, and Suckramento Queens. If Red Auerbach was a real man he wouldn't be pissing about someone tying his record. You don't see John Wooden pissing about Phil Jackson or Coach K. Do you know why? Because Coach Wooden isn't a sorry ass whiner like Auerbach - Wooden has class.

 

[trmiv]

How many titles did Jordan win with the Bulls before Phil, and how many titles did Shaq and Kobe win with the Lakers before Phil?

Phil has said it himself, he is not a team builder, he is the coach that takes a team to the next level. He said he has no desire to take a poor team and work years to turn them good, that's not what he likes to do. He likes to take a good team and turn them into a great team, which is exactly what he did with the Bulls, and exactly what he's done with the Lakers. He is a master of managing personalities, and working individuals into the team concept. Michael Jordan wasn't exactly viewed as the consummate team player before Phil Jackson came along. It was Phil that got him to trust his teammates, and that is what started the Bulls roll. Kobe and Shaq went through the same problem, they didn't trust their teammates. As good as Shaq and Kobe are, I don't think they would have any titles in LA without Phil. Why? Because 1) Del Harris was not leading the Lakers to a title, neither was Kurt Rambis. The players did not respect either one, and Del's teams did not play defense, Phil's do. 2) I doubt both Shaq and Kobe would still be in LA together if Phil had not come into the picture. Shaq was all ready to not re-sign with the Lakers until they hired Phil Jackson. Once Phil was in, there was no where in the league where Shaq wanted to be other than LA. Non-Laker fans don't see what Laker fans have seen, because they don't watch 82 Laker games a year like I or some other Laker fans do. Before Phil, the team always had a lack of preparation, they never seemed to be ready for the big challenge. With Phil, the mental preparation edge the team has over their opponents in important games is amazing.

 

[burnedout]

trmiv: You summed it up the best.

First of all, I readily admit that I despise the Lakers. I have despised them since the Celtics-Lakers rivalry of the 80s.

But they are a great team and Phil Jackson is a great coach. Last night they wrote yet another chapter in their book of dominance. Phil Jackson has proven over and over that he can mold today's superstar egos into a championship team. He completely transformed a team that was swept out of two consecutive conference finals by the Jazz and Spurs respectively in 1998 and 1999.

On the other hand, Red Auerbach was also a great coach. He knew how to draft, cultivate and build a team. However, professional basketball was in a different era when Auerbach coached back during the 50s and 60s. There is no denying that Auerbach could build championship teams When Auerbach was in the front office, he made one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history by sending 1st and 13th draft picks to Golden State for Robert Parrish and the #3 pick that turned out to be Kevin McHale.

I have tons of respect for both coaches. In this case, I think Red Auerbach's pride is showing. And as much as I would love to see the Nets beat the Lakers for the title, I know it ain't gonna happen with nothing short of a miracle.

I grudgingly predict the Lakers in 5 <sigh>.

 

[Miramonti]

Originally posted by: Phokus
I love pissing off laker fanboys with the truth

Its ironic that you're posting this today because imo, I think PJ won the game for the lakers because of the way he outcoached Adelman yesterday. Jacksons style is to let his players play through tough times, but he could see the writing on the wall when his players were lapsing in the first half and got into the face of shaq and others a couple times in the first half. He was pissed, he let them know, and didn't accept their effort.

That clearly motivated them. What did adelman do in the fourth to motivate Cweb? nothin - and webber sucked because he wasn't aggressive.

Kobe said it best, 'they had the pieces' and PJ taught them how to be champions.

My point is that YOU HAVE NO CLUE what you're talking about!!!

Although I'm very depressed the kings lost.:disgust:

 

[UltraQuiet]

I think both of them are great coaches but of different eras. Yes Auerbach built a franchise but he was lucky enough to get breakthrough players to do it, much like Jackson was with Jordan. Auerbach also never had to coach anyone like Rodman. He also never had to deal with egos that are disguised as Kobe and Shaq. To answer the question , no I don't think Jackson is overrated. Phokus got this opinion the same way he got the one in his sig. about the Patriot Act, he read one news article and decided it was gospel. Just goes to prove his lack of intelligence.