http://my.nba.com/thread.jspa?threadID=5700000743&#msg5700018170 5. Jerry Sloan, Utah Jazz, 44-23, fourth in the West Why he's here: Two tough wins on the road in Milwaukee and Boston, a 7-1 record in March and a four-game lead in the Northwest. Sloan and Pop will probably pop in and out of this spot for the rest of the season. Either that, or Mike D'Antoni or Stan Van Gundy will take residence here soon. Either way, one (or two) group(s) of fans won't be thrilled. 4. Doc Rivers, Boston Celtics, 51-2313, first in the East Why he's here: Why is the coach of the team with the best record, and headed for the best single-season turnaround in NBA history, not in first place? To tell you the truth, expectations have changed. But if you have a reason why Doc should be tops, reply, and we'll print some of the better ones next week. (Hat tip to True Hoop on that link.) 3. Phil Jackson, Los Angeles Lakers, 45-20, tied first in the West Why he's here: Nothing against you, Phil, it's just that the top two dudes have bested you so far. 2. Rick Adelman, Houston Rockets, 45-20, tied first in the West Why he's here: Remember the scene in Jurassic Park where Steven Spielberg cut to the shot of the T-Rex in the Jeep's sideview mirror (about 2:38) with the words: OBJECTS IN THE MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR. Rick Adelman is the T-Rex, and ... 1. Byron Scott, New Orleans, 42-20, thirdi n the West Why he's here: Byron Scott is the Jeep. Others receiving love: Gregg Popovich, San Antonio; Mike D'Antoni, Phoenix; Stan Van Gundy, Orlando; Flip Saunders, Detroit.
lol So why is Byron Scott still above RA? NO logical explaination not even the maker of the Rankings can explain. Go figure. After we top LAL, BOS and NOH (again) this week, you can start engraving RA's name into the award.
New Orleans has far exceeded preseason expectations. The Rockets, right now, are about on pace to win what they were projected to win before the season (~55 games).
I think the author has it backwards. Considering what RA has done with the team, I don't see how anyone can be ranked above him right now.
Well you know, last season Hornets had a lot of injuries, it was awful season for them, they didn't even reach the playoffs. And since that time they have established themselfs as one of the top teams in the leauge. But I agree that RA should be ahead of Scott.
I think that's exactly what he's implying by the rankings. If you watched Jurassic Park, you'll remember that the T-Rex did eventually catch the Jeep.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/14/SP8HVK2B2.DTL San Francisco Chronicle He's rocketing to coach of the year Bruce Jenkins Saturday, March 15, 2008 Everyone's handing Rick Adelman the coach of the year award, and rightly so. Even with a month left on the schedule, he's a lock for turning an apparent season-destroying injury (to Yao Ming) into an entirely new system that works just as well, if not better, for the Houston Rockets. The former Warriors coach also has an admirable, mostly unappreciated body of work dating back to 1990, when he took Portland to the NBA Finals in his first full year of NBA coaching, and that can only help his case. New Orleans' Byron Scott is bound to get a few votes, as will the Lakers' Phil Jackson, who reacts with such aplomb to every new development in the Lakers' soap opera. There was something about Thursday night's Warriors-Phoenix game that left two more names in the mix. Don Nelson is working with junk, right? That's what everyone seems to think. "Golden State is not a contender," scoffed TNT's Charles Barkley after the Warriors, playing their second game in two nights, staged an inspired performance in defeat. "They're just a bunch of little guys running around." That may be true, but in a season projected by many as a natural letdown from the euphoria of last year's playoffs, the Warriors are playing .625 ball and, unlike many teams, have three exceptional scoring options at any time: Baron Davis, Stephen Jackson and Monta Ellis. There isn't a team in the Western Conference that would prefer playing the Warriors in the first round. The Suns' Mike D'Antoni isn't likely to get any recognition until deep into the playoffs, assuming he even gets that far, but consider what this man has been asked to do. In essence, he's trying to coach two teams at once. The Shaquille O'Neal trade was aimed directly at the Suns' fierce rivalry with Tim Duncan and San Antonio. When the teams met Sunday, Shaq pulled down 16 rebounds, had a fine defensive game against Duncan, and sparked a victory that at least temporarily silenced the rampant skepticism over the deal. When the Warriors came to town, Shaq got in foul trouble and removed himself from the picture - but he would have been rendered irrelevant, anyway. He can't play extended minutes in a game that fast. It's time for Amare Stoudamire to take over, which is exactly what happened, Stoudamire often soaring past and over the Warriors as if they weren't even there. If those two disparate victories had anything in common, it was D'Antoni's rejection of a popular theory: Pound the ball into Shaq; the trade won't work unless he's a big part of the offense. How does that work, exactly? Not only does the Suns' high-energy offense slow to a crawl, Shaq doesn't have the low-post repertoire or free-throw skills to justify him getting the ball. At this stage of his life, Shaq is there to rebound and defend, and to score only when a dunk or putback is the obvious choice. Smart man, D'Antoni, for realizing that.
...thanks for the list 2K7... ...I totally forgot that the Celtics were horrible last year!!!! ...that might be a reason to let them sit in the captain's chair for a week or two...but...Doc would only be keeping the seat warm for the Rickster... ...amorephd...
