I don't actually think it's very close at all. It's MUCH, MUCH harder in today's NBA to build dynasties than it was in Red's era. He was an egotistical maniac and he has refused to ever give the Zen Master his due, and took jabs at him whenever he could. In a league with rebelling superstars who make more money than God himself, Phil Jackson has proved over and over again that he's as close to a coaching deity as you can get. Good article... Auerbach can’t fault Jackson any longer http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_y...dredrivalry060208&prov=yhoo&type=lgns&print=1 Just as Phil Jackson reached the cusp of catching him with his ninth NBA championship, Red Auerbach was on the telephone, grumbling over the legitimacy of that legacy. The emperor of the Boston Celtics resisted letting Jackson climb onto the coaching Olympus with him, insisting a fatal flaw of the Los Angeles Lakers coach still separated them. “He’s never tried building a team and teaching the fundamentals,” Auerbach said. “When he’s gone in there, they’ve been ready-made for him. It’s just a matter of putting his system in there. They don’t worry about developing players if they’re not good enough. They just go get someone else.” This would’ve made the possibility of Jackson’s 10th title so crushing to Auerbach. What could Red say now? Six years later, Jackson dares to do it Auerbach’s way. All those old Celtics kept wishing Auerbach had lived to see this return to Garden glory, but Auerbach would’ve loathed that this season be punctuated by Jackson using Boston to pass him for the most championships in coaching history. These days, everyone is wondering: Has Kobe Bryant surpassed Michael Jordan? That question is still too premature, but this one isn’t: Does the Los Angeles Lakers’ coach become the greatest coach in NBA history with another Finals victory? Rest assured, nine titles now is far more impressive than nine back in Red’s day. Ten ends the argument. Auerbach is the greatest general manager to ever live. He shaped and reshaped the Celtics for three different title eras. There were the Russell-Cousy Celtics and the Havlicek-Cowens Celtics and the Bird-McHale-Parish Celtics. Whatever Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak did to steal Pau Gasol resembled the chicanery Auerbach routinely used to rouse rival owners and executives. Auerbach stole Bill Russell for ice show dates at the Boston Garden. He secured Larry Bird’s draft rights as an undergraduate. Dennis Johnson for Rick Robey. The rights to Joe Barry Carroll for Robert Parish and the pick that brought Kevin McHale. It goes on and on. Ultimately, Auerbach has to be considered the greatest basketball mind in the game’s history. No one should ever dispute that. And yes, he was the greatest coach the sport had ever known, until Phil Jackson started driving vans in Albany of the Continental Basketball Association. People pretend like Jackson never paid his dues. He did. He won titles in the CBA. He coached his summers in Puerto Rico for the extra paycheck. Sure, he had been historically fortunate with Jordan and Pippen, with Shaq and Kobe, but let’s get something straight: No one – least of all Auerbach – ever won without great talent. Of course, Auerbach always groused that coaching was so much easier today. This was flawed and, deep down, he knew it. Talent scouting in Auerbach’s era was as sophisticated as an envelope of newspaper articles an old buddy clipped and mailed. At the time, Auerbach had complete control of his ballplayers. There was no free agency, no arbitration. Auerbach was judge and jury on your job. Want a raise? He gave it. Want to work next season? His call. For that reason, Auerbach could reach his players at the most base level: Fear. Auerbach claimed control that coaches today could only dream. After Auerbach retired in 1967, his replacement won the ’68 championship. Remember? Bill Russell. As a player-coach. Imagine that now. Jackson didn’t pick these Lakers, but he sure did develop them. Andrew Bynum has a chance to be one of basketball’s best centers. When most coaches disdain giving young players minutes, Jackson cultivated a bench of Jordan Farmar, Luke Walton and Sasha Vujacic. Through the years, he’s blended the development of talent with the manipulating of minds. In Chicago, he turned his own GM, Jerry Krause, into a common enemy for whom the Bulls to rally around. He created the model for working officials through the press, and reaching his players through the most untraditional of means. They meditated. They read books. He brought dignity and decorum to sideline coaching behavior that has become embarrassing from others. Jackson was a different coach, for a different time. As arrogant as Jackson can be, his act still pales against Auerbach. Red’s been remembered as a kindly, grandfatherly man, but he was an arrogant winner and a sore loser. Everyone laughs about his ritual late in victories, but think about that: Lighting a cigar on the bench. Auerbach hated the idea of Jackson breaking his record. To him, he was still that miserable New York Knick with sharp elbows. Truth be told, Auerbach never believed a coach could catch him in titles. Before he died, Auerbach talked to me about Lenny Wilkens passing him for most career victories and Pat Riley for playoff wins, but the nine coaching championships were different. Those banners were Auerbach’s measure of greatness. “When Wilkens did it, it took him longer than me as a coach, but he still broke it,” Auerbach said. “And then subsequently other guys did it. It took Riley a little less time than me. Hey, these records are made to be broken. One guy broke Roger Maris’ home run record, and then a second and a third, and now they’ve blown it all to (crap).” Before Jackson won his ninth in 2002, he sounded like a man who wanted Auerbach’s approval. He never did get it. He said he’d settle for a congratulatory cigar. “Unlit,” Jackson hoped. Never, Auerbach insisted. “It’ll stunt his growth,” he growled. This was the basketball season Red Auerbach would’ve loved to see in Boston, but an ending that might have driven him mad. This is the year that Phil Jackson answers all of Auerbach’s doubts. He never tried building a team? Finally, Jackson did and maybe it’s for the best that Red is gone. For the first time, he’d have to concede: As coach, Phil Jackson had done it all. Mostly, he has nearly done the unthinkable: Pass Red as forever’s coach.
Possibly, but I really don't think you can compare coaches at such different times in the NBA. Completely different players and style in general.
Yeah that's one thing I'd like to see Phil do; have GM or VP of BB Operations power and see how he would mold a team from start to finish. I'm sure he had input on player personnel decisions with the Lakers and Bulls, but I still think most of the work was done by Mitch Kupchak (Jerry West before him) and Jerry Krause on the Bulls. Otherwise, Auerbach has a small but flawed point, even though his main objective was to diss PJ. And it's correct that molding a team was easier back in Red's days then today's NBA, so points for PJ on how to control and coach today's NBA players.
PJ does not measure up to Red Auerbach because Auerbach was also a GM. He was also far ahead of his time and took advantage of the situation. For example: Drafting Larry Bird a year early was a masterstroke that can never be repeated. It's hard for me to compare them as pure coaches because Red was so much more than just a coach.
Respectfully, I disagree, it was repeated (at best it could) although maybe not to the same level. David Robinson was one of the best draft picks in our generation because he didn't join the team for a year or two and the team still sucked enabeling them to stock pile picks. And NO, I'm not a Spurs fan, and NO it wasn't as quite as good as Bird, but it was a brilliant pick knowing that he still had a Naval committment.
If Red was still around and Lakers were to win the championship in Boston, it would have been one of the most amazing sights. An old and bitter Red caught on camera grimacing while Phil walks up to Doc Rivers to thank him for the 10th ring. Here is one time I have no problem saying.... He will be rolling in his grave.
Phil Jackson lost in 5 games with this startling lineup Shaquille O'Neal Karl Malone Devean George Kobe Bryant Gary Payton -GP still had game too. Phil failed miserably by not giving the reigns to Payton when he was in the game. Instead he stuck with the triangle an offense that Payton and Malone did not have enough time to get into. The solution was simple. Find a system that suits your personnel and show the balls to tinker with the gameplan. Instead PJ did the only thing he knew. Let Tex Winter run his triangle.
Karl Malone was injured for the Finals. He played only one game and that too on one leg. Malone is a scumbag but he made obvious impact on the court for the Lakers. Had he been healthy, the outcome of the series would have been most likely different. Oh the irony of the timing for Karl going with an injury.... Also, why would have Phil given the reign to Payton? He was on a severe decline. It wasnt Payton who get their passing game going. It was Karl Malone and several people, including ones on Lakers, had noticed that.
Payton could still play. He was shackled by the offense. With Fisher backing him up Payton could have given 25 aggressive, passionate minutes of basketball. Instead he was forced to into a role typically reserved to shoot the 3 and or play defense.
You wanted Phil Jackson to abandon his triangle in the Finals for an over the hill PG who was shooting below 40%? I cant think of any coach who would do that. You wanted a PG who was in his first year with the new team to run the offense for a team which had Shaq and Kobe? You do realize that Payton got his numbers in his earlier years because he was a scoring PG right? No coach in his right mind would give him a free reign when he has Shaq/Kobe on the team, especially not when he is shooting at such a miserable clip. In his prime, Payton was a defensive beast. The fact that you are scoffing at the idea of Phil wanting Payton to play defense should tell you how much game he had lost by then.
I wanted him to tinker the offense during the season well before the finals even started. Payton became a liability for the Lakers, he still could have been a weapon IMO. You think he was over the hill. I don't.
If Phil pulls a Larry Brown and builds his team and then has success as a coach also, then we can have this "better" conversation. I think Pepsi is better than Coke. It's a fact.
There isn't much doubt Payton was over the hill. He was a shell of his peak form and I enjoyed watching him get used. But I agree with you he didn't fit the triangle (or the triangle didn't fit him).
In 500 years, no one would care if Jackson wasn't a GM or what players he had. They would just look at who had the most number of rings. The same holds true for Kobe Vs. MJ.
The Spurs had the first pick and picked the consensus best player in the draft. Every team in the league would have drafted Robinson with the first pick. It was an obvious pick, not a great pick. The Celtics got Bird with the 6th pick. That was a great pick.
Alright, I do think Auerbach is a little on the bitter side. But with that said, I more likely to lean towards some of his argument. In most sports, if you have the most championships in the highest professional level of that sport...isn't coach of that team usually considered one of the best, if the greatest coach of all time. So, even if Phil gets 9 or 10 championships, could he be considered the greatest ever as far as basketball or even sports history? I'm gonna he is very good coach, if I had list of basketball coaches, I would be very uninclined to put him at number 1 through 3. Consider this he has never really built a team from scratch or made a poor team with no superstar players into any type of powerhouse. It seems like he is always in the right place at the right time....team with MJ developing and with him as coach. Remember 1989, they were very close to being NBA Finals, if they steal another game from Detroit. Adelman turned around Sacramento and Portland, Brown turned around Indiana, Philadelphia, and finally got Detroit back to championship,. If I chose a coach it would be someone like Belichick, who has shown that he can pretty much win with any team on the field, has mastered play calling to the point where teams are actually more worried about the what kind of strategy he will employ than say the players on the field. If he doesn't have better players than other teams or all most equal talent, then I don't believe is going to win. Even during injuries and key players lost during FA, Belichick still kept the Patriots competitive against teams who certainly much more talented than they were. I even look back to Lakers being up 3-1 against the Suns, I thought he was actually doing pretty well in the series until Phoenix started to come back and I thought started to get outcoached down the stretch by D'Antoni and Phoenix seemed to be playing with a little more fire. Also here is another thing, why does he always have to employ a triangle offense, when in reality it may not fit or best suit the talent of team, see 2004 Lakers. I'm not saying the triangle shouldn't be used, but I mean if you have a superior PG (like Phoenix and NO) and somewhat weak at the position you need to run triangle sets , efficiently(or weak offensively at those spots)....do you try to stick with that or do you go to more wide open system where your PG can set up everything offense. Again, I really can't fault him for that, because he is one of the only coaches in the last 20 or so years to win title with non-all-star type pg, most teams that have one the title over the period have had some really above average play from the PG, although I'm not saying Harper and Fisher are poor players, they are not what you would call pure point guards.
Also, I will add what rookies has he ever drafted or developed into a player beyond role player status. I know most players are already come in with all-star talent or what me not....but which players do you think he made significantly better or even which players did he ever mold into better offensive players or greater defenders....I think Adelman, Popvich, and Brown are slightly better at doing that?
Payton put up... 20ppg 45% FG 8.3apg (3rd in the league) 4.5rpg 4.5fta per game 1.8spg 40mpg the year before coming into the triangle. You telling me his drop off in less than 1yr was THAT MASSIVE? Even now when he had 3 better players to alleviate his duties and a backup PG? Payton wasn't over the hill. PJ turned him into a liability by not adapting the offense around a potential weapon.
