The Fellowship Of The No-Ring: Jerry Sloan and 6 Other Coaches In The Title Hunt

So close. . .yet so far. The phrase applies for a number of talented coaches who have managed to get so close to the promised land but fall just short (and usually curse the initials PJ). Some have been around for decades. Others, not quite as long. But all unite in their desire to get a ring and bring championship glory to their respective squads.

These seven active coaches are the cream of the crop of the ringless: division titles, 50-60 win seasons, conference championship rounds, and NBA Finals appearances haven't been the problem. It's the four wins in June that are (continually) elusive.

Jerry Sloan

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LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 29: Head coach Jerry Sloan of the Utah Jazz complains to a referee in the game with the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on December 29, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. The Jazz won 103-85. NOTE TO USER: User expressl

Teams Coached: Chicago Bulls ('79-'82), Utah Jazz ('88-Present)

Career Record / Playoffs: 1,217--798 (.604) / 98--104 (.485)

Division Titles: 7 ('89, '92, '97, '98, '00, '07, '08 with Jazz)

Conference Titles / Appearances in CT Round: 2 ('97, '98) / 6 Total Appearances

NBA Finals Record: 4-8 (lost to Bulls in '97 2-4; lost to Bulls in '98 2-4)

Coach of the Year Awards: 0

Analysis: Sloan has already found himself in the Hall of Fame and is both beloved and feared around the league. He is, statistically, a winner but has yet to get over that hump, twice facing a Michael Jordan-led Bulls team (coached by Phil Jackson) in the Finals.

He is a man with a philosophy and a strict way of doing things and, through his 20-plus years with Utah, has hardly wavered from his mode of thinking. It is consistent in the W column but hasn't brought home a trophy. How much longer does Sloan have before retirement? Will his unique and very successful coaching style give him the rewards he deserves? His core group is still strong and he has a superstar at the point, but he's had that before. What does the future hold?

George Karl

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DENVER, CO - JANUARY 21: George Karl, head coach of the Denver Nuggets, leads his team against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Pepsi Center on January 21, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. The Lakers defeated the Nuggets 107-97. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknow

Teams Coached: Cleveland Cavs ('84-'86), Golden State Warriors ('86-'89), Seattle Supersonics ('91-'98), Milwaukee Bucks ('98-'03), Denver Nuggets ('04-Present).

Career Record / Playoffs: 1,102--689 (.595) / 74-93 (.443)

Division Titles: 8 ('94, '96, '97, '98 with Sonics, '01 with Bucks, '06, '09, '10 with Nuggets)

Conference Titles / Appearances: 1 ('96) / 4 Total Appearances

NBA Finals Record: 2-4 (Lost to Bulls in '96)

Coach of the Year Awards: 0

Analysis: Personally and professionally, Karl has faced it all. And while he has seemingly beat cancer and survived the endless Carmelo Anthony circus, the very successful coach of five teams has yet to get a ring for his efforts.

Much like Sloan in '97 and '98, Karl seemed to have bad luck in '96 when he brought a very powerful Sonics team to the Finals. His Bucks and Nuggets teams have fallen just short of that, but have been annually exciting and competitive.

Karl's record does ebb and flow but he has the capability of winning big playoff games (and, it should be said, blowing them). The Nuggets are on a knife's edge right now with Melo. It seems the fate of this current Nuggets team is also the fate of Karl's championship chances. . .at least in Denver.

Byron Scott

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CHARLOTTE, NC - DECEMBER 29: Head coach Byron Scott of the Cleveland Cavaliers watches on against the Charlotte Bobcats during their game at Time Warner Cable Arena on December 29, 2010 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowled

Teams Coached: New Jersey Nets ('00-'04), New Orleans Hornets ('04-'10), Cleveland Cavs ('10-Present)

Career Record / Playoffs: 360-392 (.479) / 33-24 (.579)

Division Titles: 3 ('02, '03 with Nets, '08 with Hornets)

Conference Titles / Appearances: 2 ('02, '03) / 2 Total Appearances

NBA Finals Record: 2-8 (Lost to Lakers 0-4 in '02, lost to Spurs 2-4 in '03)

Coach of the Year Awards: 1 ('07-'08)

Analysis: Well, of all the people on this list, Scott is not going to the playoffs, let alone win a ring, anytime soon,.Scott led two very exciting Nets teams to the NBA Finals in the early 2000s where, through no fault of his own, he was overmatched by the then-standard Western dominance.

Scott seems to start out hot and then take the blame for a franchise's demise (if it can even be titled that). Despite the historically successful years in New Jersey, he was let go relatively quickly. Scott's Hornet teams were exciting and set to explode in '08 but a massive collapse in the playoffs set the Hornets back and Scott, himself, never recovered, getting sent packing.

The current debacle in Cleveland is far from his fault, but he may need to get out of there if he wants a championship.

Stan Van Gundy

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ORLANDO, FL - JANUARY 24: Head coach Stan Van Gundy of the Orlando Magic talks with Dwight Howard #12 during the game against the Detroit Pistons at Amway Arena on January 24, 2011 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agree

Team Coached: Miami Heat ('03-'05), Orlando Magic ('07-Present)

Career Record / Playoffs: 311-165 (.653) / 45-31 (.592)

Division Titles: 4 ('05 with Heat, '08, '09, '10 with Magic)

Conference Titles / Appearances: 1 ('09) / 2 Total Appearances

NBA Finals Record: 1-4 (Lost to Lakers in '09)

Coach of the Year Awards: 0

Analysis: Stan (and even brother Jeff) is a polarizing figure in the media, speaking without remorse or regret and often with his heart on his sleeve. Add questionable locker room scandals involving his employment (of which the matter is still hush-hush) in Miami and former and current players zig-zagging in their support for him, Stan seems like sort of a mess to the outsider.

But what can't be questioned is the results on the floor. In a limited time, Van Gundy has managed to flirt with the elite and remain relevant with two teams, making the playoffs in all but one of his seasons. His choice of conference makes his job tougher but Van Gundy has proven to be a competitor and, whether you like it or not, one who doesn't back down.

Stan the Man still has a long career ahead of him, so the '09 setback is nothing to worry about, but something must be done about it soon. Like others on this list, time can be cruel and it is always counting down against you.

Avery Johnson

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BOSTON - NOVEMBER 24: Head coach Avery Johnson of the New Jersey Nets directs his players in the second half against the Boston Celtics on November 24, 2010 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics defeated the nets 89-83. NOTE TO USER: Use

Teams Coached: Dallas Mavericks ('04-'08), New Jersey Nets ('10-Present)

Career Record / Playoffs: 207--102 (.670) / 23--24 (.489)

Division Titles: 1 ('07 with Mavericks)

Conference Titles (Appearances): 1 ('07) / 1 Total Appearance

NBA Finals Record: 2-4 (lost to Heat in '06)

Coach of the Year Awards: 1 ('05/'06)

Analysis: Oh, poor Avery. The league's most successful active coach (in terms of win percentage) comes with baggage wherever he is or wherever he chooses to go from here on out. An excellent coach who can communicate with players, Johnson has reached the pinnacle and crashed to the surface.

His 2006 NBA Finals meltdown has at least been supported by conspiracy theorists out there who feel it was a fix but his '07 Mavs squad gets no excuses. After winning 67 games and a division, you are expected to beat the eighth seed in the first round of the playoffs. Johnson's Mavs didn't.

But he earns and receives a lot of respect and I, myself, root for him when I can. He has the tools...he just needs to get over the hump. New Jersey might not be the place, but Byron Scott was probably told that once too.

Rick Adelman

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OAKLAND, CA - DECEMBER 20: Head coach Rick Adelman of the Houston Rockets talks to his team during their game against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena on December 20, 2010 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agr

Teams Coached: Portland Trailblazers ('88-'94), Golden State Warriors ('95-'97), Sacramento Kings ('98-'06), Houston Rockets ('07-Present)

Career Record / Playoffs: 923-662 (.605) / 79-78 (.503)

Division Titles: 4 ('91, '92 with Blazers, '02, '03 with Kings)

Conference Titles / Appearances: 2 ('90, '92) / 4 Total Appearances

NBA Finals Record: 3-8 (Lost to Pistons 1-4 in '90, lost to Bulls 2-4 in '92)

Coach of the Year Awards: 0

Analysis: Adelman is kind of like the elder statesmen of the ringless fellowship, getting to numerous Finals and running into the buzzsaw that was Chicago (though, to be fair, he also lost to a legendary Bad Boys Piston team).

Adelman may not be remembered for his Blazer days when, like Karl's '96 Sonics and Sloan's late '90s Jazz teams, he had incredibly gifted and talented teams that would have won if MJ/PJ weren't around, but he will be remembered for the tension-filled mini-rivalry with Phil Jackson's Laker teams, especially the 2002 seven-game thriller.

Adelman is a respected coach molded from his playing days in the '60s and '70s. He certainly deserves a championship and the up and down ride he's had with the Rockets might prevent him from getting it.

Paul Westphal

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LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 03: Sacramento Kings head coach Paul Westphal calls out a play against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on December 3, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. The Lakers defeated the Kings 113-80. NOTE TO USER: User expressly

Teams Coached: Phoenix Suns ('92-'96), Seattle Supersonics ('98-'00), Sacramento Kings ('09-Present)

Career Record / Playoffs: 302--249 (.548) / 27--22 (.551)

Division Titles: 2 ('93, '95 with Suns)

Conference Titles / Appearances: 1 ('93) / 1 Total Appearance

NBA Finals Record: 2-4 (Lost to Bulls in '93)

Coach of the Year Awards: 0

Analysis: Westphal started out hot, winning a Conference Championship in his first year. It hasn't all worked out for him since then.

Monumental playoff collapses with the Suns in consecutive years after the Finals and failed stints with the Supersonics and Kings (still going) make Westphal, at least next to Byron Scott and his Cavs, the least likely to capture that elusive championship.