Jackson, Popovich, Rivers, Adelman, Brown: Who Is the Best Coach in the NBA?

When considering the best coach currently in the NBA, the names I listed in the title come to mind. Some would argue Doug Collins or Paul Westphal, two names I wouldn't have immediately thought of due to my age.  All of these coaches have had their moments of success.  But how do we define "the best coach?"  

By "best," I mean the best, not the best to play for. From what one hears, many players say that they love playing basketball for Mike D'Antoni. I'm a Knicks fan (yes, I get made fun of by my friends), and I would love to play for D'Antoni, too.  Think about it.  You get to run and shoot all day, and play minimal defense, if any.  But if D'Antoni were the best, wouldn't he have a somewhat better record with the Knicks the past two years? 

Is the "best" coach based upon the number of championships won?  Is it based upon the number of times a coach has taken his team to the playoffs?  Do we factor in the best winning percentage?  All of these are valid, but I don't feel any one of them determines the best coach.  And I definitely do not believe it is the coach with the most championships.  Phil Jackson is a great coach, but I do not believe he is the best.

If we look at the coach with the best winning percentage (and we exclude the three brand new coaches for the 2010-2011 year), the coach with the highest may surprise some.  It is actually Avery Johnson, the former point guard for the Spurs.  He has won more of his games before this season than any other current coach.  But, of course, he has not coached very many games; only 264 before this season. 

He will truly receive his first test in New Jersey, working with that team.  He nearly win the NBA championship in 2006, but was fired by the Mavs after having a postseason record of 3-12 after Game 2 of the 2006 Finals.  He also has the dubious distinction of having his No. 1-seeded playoff team knocked out by the No. 8 seed.  After him, the coach with the next highest percentage of wins (surprise!) is Phil Jackson, followed by Gregg Popovich.

The coach with the most championships is Phil Jackson.  Great coach, I firmly agree.  The best?  No.  I would put Popovich in front of him.  And the reason is because every championship Jackson won came on behalf of either Jordan/Pippen, Shaq/Kobe, or Kobe/Pau.  And granted, you need a top-five player to win a championship (except for the 2008 Celtics and 2004 Pistons, from what I remember). 

But everything I've heard about Jackson says "triangle offense."  And everything I've heard about "triangle offense" says "Tex Winter created it."  So I'm not convinced that we can say Jackson is the best coach, or even the second-best coach.  Some will say I'm ignorant, but in my mind, that team of Shaq, Kobe, Gary Payton, and Karl Malone should have won the championship in 2004.  The best coach should win the title with those players.  The Pistons were not marginally better, and maybe not better at all.  But they played together, something Jackson could not get his Lakers to do, apparently.

My idea of the best coach is one who gets the most from his players on his team and turns that into success.  I can't see any other coach getting more out of his team than what Jerry Sloan has done.  Over the past 20 years, have the Jazz ever had a rebuilding year?  Have they ever went out and been able to spend 30 million dollars in cap room? 

Let's run over the numbers, shall we? 

He guided the club to 16 consecutive winning seasons, 15 trips consecutive to the NBA Playoffs (1989-2003, 18 total) and twelve 50-win seasons. His 93 playoff wins are the sixth most in NBA history. He is one of just three coaches in league history to win at least 50 games in 10 different seasons.   

Sloan’s 16 straight winning seasons (1988-2004) are second most all-time.  And who played on that team between Stockton and Malone's departure and Deron Williams arrival?  Check this link.  Sloan still won 42 games with this team: http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/UTA/2004.html. 

His top threee scorers?  Kirilenko, Harpring, and Giricek.Does any fan know who all three of those are and where they are now? 

And I know we could play the "what-if" game, but what if Jordan HAD retired for good in 1993?  Would Utah be the 1997 and 1998 Champions?  It's pure speculation.  But still, when you consider how Sloan has won year in, year out, without getting burned out, I just don't see how he's not the best coach.  Just imagine if the trio down at South Beach were playing for him.  Granted, they may win the Finals this year.  It is very likely.  But with Sloan?  It would be a stone-cold, lead-pipe lock.  And yes, that was a Mike and Mike phrase.

I confess, I would take any of the top three (or what I consider the top three) as my coach: Sloan, Popovich, and Jackson.  Even though they are aged, they still win year in and year out.

Mike D'Antoni and Alvin Gentry might be fun to play for, but the above three are proven winners nearly every year.  So, as a pro player, would you rather play for fun, or for a winner?

Note: Pat Riley may enter into this equation as well, but since he is not currently coaching, I left him out of this completely.  Granted, he is still very much active and involved, but not coaching.