The Official How Good was Don Nelson Really Thread

He's never even made it to the finals.....and has been a coach for 30+ years......

I don't really see why he should be considered a great coach.

Nothing on his resume is eye popping.

 

Clarification for those not in the loop...

No, Don Nelson is not dead. He set the record for most coaching wins tonight with 1,333.

 

It lists Don Nelson

He'd later have a 60 win season with the Mavs. His 80's Bucks teams were very very good. They were like the 80's version of the Mavericks he coached. The Bucks problem then was the Boston Celtics and 76ers.

Does that make him best all time? Debatable...I'd easily put Gregg Popovich on the list over him.

 

yep I didnt see him coach, but I think he is the greatest coach of all time!

 

a superb coach.

he invented hack-a-shaq. now widely use to put any poor freethrow shooter to the line.
i believe he was also the inventer of fronting Yao with smaller quicker defender.

 

I Think it's an absolutely idiotic thing to measure or rate his quality as a coach by comparing him to other coaches. Whether or not he's won a title or not isn't the thing, he's coached for 40 years and has done so efficiently AND has done well to adapt to the game that from the coaches chair he helped revolutionize. Jerry Sloan maybe the jazz holes' coach but you can't deny him of being great, Lebron James can be an ass but you don't deny him of his abilities, and in the same way dont compare him to MJ.

My point: He's great, not the greatest nor exactly cut from being among them BUT it's not a really good poll/way to define his legacy

 

He deserves endless praise from me for knocking the Mavs out a few years ago.

 

I think he said it himself when he said that getting 1333 wins was pretty hard when you do it by winning 20 games a season. Never has won a trophy, not in the HOF despite being the winningest coach, he should get some kind of award for longevity but a great coach No.

 

Stayed in longer then he sholud have; not a good rebuilder

 

If he didn't get into that 20 yr small ball phase w/ GS, he would've been remembered well for what he accomplished in MIL. They were a game or 2 from making it to the Finals in 83 and swept Boston, although Bird had the flu and tore a finger ligament during that series. They ran into that Moses Sixers team next.

 

On a side note, this picture of him is awesome.

 

He would have 2000 wins if he could play the Mavs 20 times a season.

 

Back then he was actually doing some great coaching, just couldn't get over those hurdles called Celtics and Sixers.

Later in his career it's like another poster stated, he became a gimick coach.