Coaches can and do make a difference. Look at Golden State... their rookie additiona was Dunleavy Jr and he hardly played. Their big addition was a midseason FA signing of a journeyman PG (who did make some impact, admittedly). But they added more wins than HOU despiet the addition of Yao, a fully healthy Francis, Mo Taylor, and Glen Rice. Coaches can a d do make a difference...
BINGO! For the last week all we heard is how important Brown could be to this team, how he could come in here and teach the young players and make the team better. And NOW we get this article talking about how coaches aren't as important? Talk about SPIN job! I would rather see an article about the Rockets (Les/CD) sitting on their thumbs while Detroit was quick, decisive and made their move. I mean, c'mon now. We all have heard how Les loves Brown and how he would love to get Brown to be the coach of this team. If that is the case, what's the problem now? Why isn't Brown signed yet? How is it Detroit without ONE interview with Brown in ONE DAY already has an offer on the table and made this public? Where are the Rockets in all of this?? In terms of signing Brown, if it is a "monetary" issue then Les just needs to suck it up and pay whatever it takes to get Brown. However if Brown is holding us up to get more "player movememnt control" then the Rockets really have to take a step back and think about that one. I have said many times that while I think Brown is a great coach his player personnel decisions are a bit lacking.
I agree it is important to have a good mix between coach and players. Most would rate Larry Brown as the better coach yet it is Byron Scott's team playing in the Finals. Phil Jackson just happened to be the right personality in Chicago and LA at the time to take those teams over the top. Shaq, Kobe, and Jordan, all great players, also bought into what Jackson was selling. You could put Jackson in Denver last year and they still wouldn't have made the playoffs because the talent level wasn't there. Sometimes a different voice is needed to help make a good team into a championship team. You just need to make sure it is a coach that will mesh with the talent on your team.
BGM already corrected you on Collins and Dunleavy. If you read Rudy's book he says he believed in what Chaney was doing and changed very little. Hakeem also converted to Islam right after Rudy took over and had a heart-to-heart with Charlie Thomas. I would argue that the change in Hakeem's attitude/game meant more to the team than a coaching change. I would go a little further than your first point and say great players turn coaches into "great" coaches. You may not even know who Phil Jackson was right now had he never landed on Michael Jordan's team. Do you think players would respect him now if not for that? Same with Pat Riley and Rudy. I would also disagree with you on Brown's 'qualifications'. I think he is severly overrated.
What made Jordan's prime was what makes every other player in league history, with some exceptions, their prime -- experience. I already gave my thoughts on the rise in Hakeem's level of play. A brief side note, if Hakeem's MVP form was largely due to coaching, why wouldn't the same coach be able to do that with Ming or Francis? As far as Philly, I believe in 2 years, Brown took them from 31 to 49 wins. Is that really miracle-working? That can easily be attributed to Iverson maturing as well. As far as Phyllis, again, players always enter their primes at similar times. You had Shaq hitting that point at right about the time Phyllis got there. Why do you think he wanted the job? Bryant was getting better as well. Also, that team won 61 games 2 years before Phyllis. He got them to 67 wins, and Duncan was hurt so they didn't even have to face the defending champs in the playoffs that year.
You can say Phil jackson was "lucky" to inherit Michael Jordan. However, Doug Collins couldn't make that team work and it had nothing to do with how great Jordan was or Jordan's experience. Jordan couldn't stand Collins because he put the entire team on his shoulders. Jordan got Collins fired. Jackson understood his superstar more and realized he had to inetgrate other players into the offense. You can say Phil Jackson was lucky once again when he waited for "just the right time" to take over the Lakers. However, it's doubtful that just anyone couldve meshed the personalities of Kobe and Shaq. It required a really good babysitter to mesh the 2 egos the size of Mount Rushmore to depend and rely on each other. Did they learn this solely on their own or was their some guidance?
Actually, many argue that "The Jordan Rules" had more to do with turning MJ into a team player than Jackson did.
The article is titled 'Great players,not coaches,win ballgames',but within the article is this contradiction "Carlisle had a better record with less talent than Brown had in Philly".
Well, Larry Brown teaches "graduate basketball school" and the man who upended him with less talent is available. Of course it makes perfect sense that we get neither of those coaches despite the fact that everyone says we have the best job available. Instead the front runner is a guy whose only other opportunity is with one of the most mediocre franchises in NBA history with no distinguishable or marketable assets. Yes, see, it's all falling into place exactly the way CD and Les had planned.
