I make no claim that Pop is the greatest coach. I take no issue w/ someone claiming Olojuwan over Duncan for myriad reasons. But I do take issue with one wanting to write off Duncan's success because they think he's "part of Pop's system" or that his success comes only as a result of whom his coach is. As someone that watched this kid play from eleven rows back for four years, that's complete lunacy that Duncan is who he is because of a coach or system.
I never said Duncan's history as a player is successful only due to the system. But I do think it's greatly helped and enhanced his success as well as his HOF teammates. I do think during this championship Pops is more impactful overall than Duncan at this point and Duncan is more replaceable than Pop. I think Pops could win with a defensive big and a star at PF, I don't know if Duncan does the same without Pop with an equally attractive situation. The Spurs depth and Duncan's reduced minutes show that team is fine without him, someone posted the Spurs record with him out of the lineup and it was over .500, switch him out with a defensive big and a star in the lineup and I think the Spurs are fine and contenders. The FVMP could've been won by Duncan, Diaw, Manu, Parker if you look at raw numbers and the winner Leonard. When he won it the team looked surprised and happy for him. Now ignoring Pops, I was curious who you do think is one of the NBA's greatest coaches and why?
Duncan and pop have a good relationship Dream and Rudy had a great relationship Insert rockets superstar after dream and coach and tell me if they had a good relationship
Hakeem's prime may have been slightly better, but even that is debatable as many people forget how quietly dominant Duncan has been. Check 1999 and 2003 finals stats. The length of his "peak" and overall body of work is clearly in Duncan's favor. There is a reason why Timmy has like 70% career winning percentage and is a guaranteed contender any team he plays on. Top 10 of all time i.m.o.
Duncan is definitely top 10 and those finals stats are impressive. But look at little deeper at their competition and team support. Ducan's Spurs in 1999 played the 8th seed NY Knicks in the finals with a .540 winning percentage, the equivalent of a 44 win team. We also have to look at who Duncan got those points against. Ewing was hurt and I believe the Knicks bigs were 3rd year Marcus Camby who averaged 7 pts and 6 rebs that year and I think rapidly declining 6'6 Larry Johnson and Kurt Thomas. Since Ewing was hurt before the finals they were actually worse than their record that series. Duncan also had all star level David Robinson averaging 17 pts 12 rebs 3 blks and dominant defense to make his job easier against that injured bad Knick front line. Hakeem had dominant finals numbers against Prime Ewing (who he absolutely ruined on both offense and defense), the #1 defense in the league, a HOF coach in Riley and 3 all stars in Ewing, Starks and Oakley. Much tougher competition with far less help in 94'. In 2003 Duncan played the 49 win Nets team against bigs like Kenyon Martin and a terrible Jason Collins with David Robinson and Bruce Bowen providing elite defense, although with not much offensive help, but still having an all time level coach in Pops both years. Hakeem outplayed Shaq and a more talented Magic team in the finals with a 32 year old Drexler and won a championship as a 6th seed without home court advantage in the playoffs against prime all time greats with teams that averaged about 60 wins each round. It is arguably the toughest championship competition run of all time. He put up dominant numbers and capped possibly the greatest three peak years ever for an individual player combining offensive and defensive impact. I could continue on how much better his peak years were over Duncan but in short, in a three year peak span only Jordan could potentially top Hakeem as a two way player form 93-95 imo.
Not that I remotely like him, and I find him very opportunistic but you have to put Phil Jackson in any discussion of greatest coach at least of the modern era. I'd put Auerbach in the hat as well. If Pop coaches a few years after Duncan retires with any success, and I don't even mean Championship success but a couple +.500 seasons, I'll crown him too. Just that for a job all about managing personalities, what Jackson had to manage was many times more difficult than Pops ever has with Duncan on the "team."
