NBA Coaches: Does Their Success Equal Team Success?

Jim Selbo — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 09:48:23 -0500

I was sitting home the other night watching my Timberwolves lose—again.

I had a flashback to the Dwayne Casey era. If you will recall, coach Casey got fired in the midst of a season when the Wolves were battling L.A. for a playoff berth.

To replace Casey, management brought in Randy Wittman, an unproven coach with a loosing record (.333 overall), and the Wolves missed the playoffs.

Now, I will certainly concede that many of the Timberwolves' woes last season were in large part due to the fact that KG went to Boston. However, I do not feel that bringing in a coach with a loosing record to coach a team of relative youngsters is the answer.

My mind immediately drifted to other teams and other coaches, so I decided to do a piece that looks at each team, the current coach, his overall record, and the team's 2008 record so far (the fact that were are less than 10 games into the NBA season does not escape me).

In the Atlantic Division, we have to start with the Boston Celtics. After winning the championship last year, the Celtics are 7-1 so far this year. Their head coach is Doc Rivers—in case you have been living under a rock. Doc is 339-328 as a head coach, a .508 win percentage. Of the nine years he has been a head coach, he has taken his team to the playoffs on five occasions.

Toronto Raptors: 4-3 in 2008. Head coach is Sam Mitchell. Mitchell has been a coach for four years, and has been to the playoffs in two of them. His overall record is 148-180 (.451), but he is only 3-8 in the playoffs.

New York Knicks: 4-3 in 2008. Head coach is Mike D’Antoni. He is 272-175 in the NBA, and has a .510 winning percentage in the playoffs.

New Jersey Nets: 2-4 in 2008. Head coach is Lawrence Frank. Frank has been a coach for five years and brought his team to the playoffs four times. His overall record is 191-177 (.519), and he 18-20 in the playoffs.

Philadelphia 76ers: 2-5 in 2008. Head coach is Maurice Cheeks. Cheeks has been a head coach for seven years and has been to the playoffs three of those years. His record as a coach is 275-272 (.503) and 5-11 in playoff appearances.

Cleveland Cavaliers: 6-2 in 2008. Head coach is Mike Brown. Coach Brown is three for three in years coached vs. playoff appearances. Overall record is 145-101 (.589) and 26-20 in the playoffs.

Detroit Pistons: 5-2 in 2008. Head coach is Michael Curry. This is his first year as head coach; there are no coaching stats available.

Indiana Pacers: 3-3 in 2008, Head coach is Jim O’Brien. O’Brien has been a coach for six years and has been to the playoffs three of those years. Win-loss ratio is 218-204 (.517), and his teams are 14-17 in the playoffs.

Chicago Bulls: 3-5 in 2008. Head coach is Vinny Del Negro. Del Negro worked for the Suns as an assistant GM before being hired by the Bulls. This is his first full year as head coach, no stats are available.

Milwaukee Bucks: 3-5 in 2008. Head coach is Scott Skiles. Skiles has coached for eight years, and has been to the playoffs in five of those years. His overall record is 281-251 (.528) and 15-20 in the playoffs.

Atlanta Hawks: 6-0 in 2008. Head coach is Mike Woodson. He has coached four seasons and been to the playoffs one year. Overall record is 106-222 (.323) and his team was 3-4 in the playoffs.

This is a good example of the coach not necessarily making the team so to speak. On paper, Woodson is a sub-par coach, but the Hawks are off to a stellar start in the ’08 season.

Miami Heat: 4-3 in 2008. Head coach is Erik Spoelstra. This is coach Spo’s first season as head coach; there are no coaching stats available.

Orlando Magic: 4-3 in 2008. Head coach is Stan Van Gundy. He has coached for four years, bringing his team to the playoffs three of those years. His record stands at 164-103 (.614), and is 22-16 in the playoffs.

Charlotte Hornets: 2-5 in 2008. Head coach is Larry Brown. Coach Brown has led the charge for 22 seasons, 17 of which he brought the team to the playoffs. His record is 1,010-800 (.558) and 100-89 in playoff appearances.

Washington Wizards: 0-5 in 2008. Head coach is Eddie Jordan. Jordan has coached seven years, and he has been to the playoffs four years. His overall record is 229-278 (.452). The playoffs have been a bit of a slump, only going 8-18.

Utah Jazz: 6-1 in 2008. Head coach is Jerry Sloan. Jerry Sloan has coached 23 seasons and has taken his team to the playoffs 18 of those seasons. His record is 1,089-717 (.603) giving him the fifth best record among active coaches. His playoff record stands at 93-94.

Portland Trail Blazers: 4-3 in 2008. Head coach is Nate McMillan. McMillan has coached eight seasons and been to the playoffs two times. His record is 306-335 (.477) with an 8-8 playoff record.

Denver Nuggets: 4-3 in 2008. Head coach is George Karl. Karl has been a head coach for 20 seasons and his team has been to the playoffs on 17 occasions. His record is 879-614 (.589). His teams are 62-83 in playoff appearances.

Oklahoma City Thunder: 1-6 in 2008. Head coach is P.J. Carlesimo. P.J. has been a coach for seven years and to the playoffs three of those years. His record is 203-284 (.417) but 2-9 in the playoffs.

Minnesota Timberwolves: 1-6 in 2006. Head coach is Randy Wittman. This is Wittman’s fourth year as a coach and he has never made it to the playoffs. His record is 96-192 (.333), which is the second worst in the NBA.

LA Lakers: 6-0 in 2008. Head coach is Phil Jackson. Jackson has been a head coach for 17 years, and his team has made the playoffs an impressive 17 times. His record stands at 976-418 (.700), which leads all active coaches. His playoff record is 193-84.

Phoenix Suns: 6-2 in 2008. Head coach is Terry Porter. This is Porter’s third year as a coach in the NBA. He has a record of 72-93 (.436). His team made the playoffs one year, but he holds a playoff record of 1-4.

On a more personal note, Terry Porter was a player with the T-Wolves the year they made their first playoff appearance.

Sacramento Kings: 3-5 in 2008. Head coach is Greg Popovich. Coach P has been a coach for 12 seasons, and has taken his team to the playoffs 11 times. His record is the league's second-best for active coaches at 632-302 (.677). His playoff record stands at 101-59.

Golden State Warriors: 3-5 in 2008. Head coach is Don Nelson. Nelson has been a coach for 29 seasons, and brought his team to the playoffs 18 of those 29. His record is 1,280-954 (.573), and 75-91 in the playoffs.

LA Clippers: 1-6 in 2008. Head coach is Mike Dunleavy. He has been a coach for 15 years, and his team has made the playoffs on seven occasions. His record is 573-625 (.478), and in the playoffs he is 38-33.

New Orleans Hornets: 4-2 in 2008, Head coach is Byron Scott. He has been a coach for eight seasons and has taken his team to the playoffs three times. His record is 300-316 (.487), and he is 32-20 in the playoffs.

Houston Rockets: 4-3 in 2008. Head coach is Rick Adelman. He has been a coach in the NBA for 17 years, 15 of which he took his team to the playoffs. His record is 807-508 (.614), and he is 72-72 in the playoffs.

Memphis Grizzlies: 3-5 in 2008. Head coach is Marc Iavaroni. He has coached one year and has never made the playoffs. His record stands at 22-60 (.268)—the lowest average in the NBA.

San Antonio Spurs: 2-4 in 2008. Head coach is Gregg Popovich. He has been a coach for 12 seasons, 11 of which his team made it to the playoffs. His record is 632-302 (.677) which is the second-best win percentage among active coaches. His playoff record is 101-59.

Dallas Mavericks: 2-5 in 2008. Head coach is Rick Carlisle. He has been a NBA coach for seven seasons, five of which his team made the playoffs. His record is 281-211 (.571) and he is 30-32 in the playoffs.

In summation, the coach doesn’t necessarily make the team—but the team doesn’t always make the coach, either.

Bleacher Report - Articles by Jim Selbo

NBA Coaches: Does Their Success Equal Team Success?