ESPN's Mitch Lawrence Ranks The Coaches

[Traceman]

Is he the Anti - Black Hawk Down? Check out the attached link.

http://espn.go.com/nba/s/2002/0919/1433805.html

[Traceman]

I know we've all questioned Lon's X' and O's over the past few years, looks like we are not the only ones who noticed.

Also, notice that Isiah Thomas was Hughes' most overrated coach. I couldn't agree more.

http://espn.go.com/nba/columns/hughes_frank/1433854.html

[Traceman]

I think he's definitely right about that. I think Lon knows it which is why he was made the playoff guarantee. If we don't make it, he was going to be fired anyway. What did he have to lose? He didn't have to go there about the number of season ticket holders we have though, that's cold! True, but cold!

I think he's right about Isiah being on the hot seat as well.

http://espn.go.com/nba/columns/may_peter/1433811.html

[jaywalker72]

I wonder if that was the ONLY game Frank Hughes saw.

Yes, sometimes we have all questioned Lon, whether it was play calling, substitution patterns, or just plain starting lineups.

But Frank Hughes should have just left that award off the list. There is no way he saw enough of any coach to draw that conclusion.

[Guest]

i'd say Frank is right.Lon not only forces things

that don't work but maybe sometimes he is TOO

SOFT of a coach aswell.

[Traceman]

Still though, I know I wonder why Lon runs certain things at certain times. This year will tell the story for Lon. I REALLY like him as a person and I want him to do well. I'd love to see him shut up all the critics. At any rate, its do or die time for him this year.

[Diesel]

If we are not winning by Dec 18th, Lon is fired and Van Gundy will probably be hired.

[BlackHawkDown]

Whoever made that list knows nothing about basketball. I will say this tough looks like he would be Walter's Best Friend.

[Guest]

We probably shouldn't look a Jeff because he

will ruin our potential offense just like NY never

hada good offense the entire time he was there.

[chillzatl]

[beav]

that is weird... I so rarely agree with a columnist... I know that I've posted/voted here before that larry brown was the best coach in the nba, sloan was the most underrated and isiah was one of the worst...

this guy has been reading my posts!

[Traceman]

he's Top 10 AT WORST and probably top 5.

[Guest Walter]

I agree that Doc (He argues Carlisle should be ranked the 6th best coach because he won COY as a rookie coach; something Doc also did. Why not the same love for Doc?), Scott, and Adelman should be higher, Riley, Karl (from 14 to say 18), and Brown (Brown at or around 10) lower.

But at least he didn't insist Frank Johnson, Lucas, Lowe, Isaiah, Cartwright, Cheeks, and the now gone Evans were all top 15 coaches. Good grief. You'd HAVE to be racist...

What was that about Bird being a "sissy baller" again?

W

[Guest Walter]

The guy got the job after an Issel firing, coached 40 games doing ABOLUTELY NOTHING of note, and was promptly fired and replaced by Bzeldik who has never head coached anywhere above Division II college or been an NBA player. Still, Evans a top 15 NBA coach because, and this is the ONLY possible reason, he is black.

Any other possible reasons should be made here. BHD? Have any?

W

Actually, I like what I read on Bzeldik just fine, just, were Evans a top 15 coach (snicker) you wouldn't need to make yet another change in Denver and bring in a career assistant with very little head coaching experience even in division II college.

[BlackHawkDown]

Cheeks -- Portland would not have even made th playoff if Mo Cheeks had not righted the ship.

Isiah -- Took one of the youngest teams in the league and turned almost knocked of NJ, If they had they would have gone to the finals.

Cartwright -- You will see how good he is in a couple of years when the BUlls field a contender

Lowe -- Is a great coach who has never had a decent team to coach.

Evans and Johnson are good just unknown.

Simple fact is the league does not promote black coaches, white players and coaches are more appealling to white consumers, which the NBA targets most, There are few black coaches , GMs and owners, nd though you think its great, I think it is a real problem. But I dont expect or want you to understand. Africans have survived all forms of torment in this country and dont need some middle class guy in North Carolina's sympathy. THe fact is you should think the way you do I can tell from you views you are ill exposed. You probably think racism is a figment of the black imagination or that Africans just cry and steal all day.

I didnt even consider race when I made my list. I just ranked the coaches I thought did the best job with the talent they had. Wins and championships werent my only criteria.

Example I wasnt ranking Phil Jackson 8 out of disrespect truth is any NBA coach is amoung the top 1% of his profession, save Kruger and Karl. The fact is like Diesel says with Kobe, he has never had a bad team. Do you think he would have won much with the Hawks a last year, doubt it. And that is a problem for many Black head coaches they only get bad jobs and like Mike Evans dont have any job security.

In the bible their is a story of a man with 3 servants he gave each a certain amount of money and those who took what little they had and multiplied it were rewardedthose that didn't were punished. Point being my top coaches take teams and make them better.

" I put my money on the long shots on my ballers that was born to rock, no one can drop of if we all stay on top" - Jay Z 1999

Best of luck great mountain Philospher. Walter is a WCU Scholar and UT Philosopher. Wow you shoot for the sky.

[beav]

but this statement is complete and adulterated bulls&*$

"Cheeks -- Portland would not have even made th playoff if Mo Cheeks had not righted the ship."

Please! with their talent I could have coached them into the playoffs... don't get me wrong, because I like cheeks, but you are completely wrong with this statement... I've got news for you, the blazers have had controversy for years and they still have made the playoffs for 18 straight years...

[chillzatl]

[Guest Walter]

Cheeks -- Portland would not have even made th playoff if Mo Cheeks had not righted the ship.

Portland's made the playoffs more years straight than hawksfreak is old...and they wouldn't have made it without Cheeks, a rookie coach? They didn't do any better with him than Dunleavy on a sinking ship. PULEAZE!

In reply to:

---

"Isiah -- Took one of the youngest teams in the league and turned almost knocked of NJ, If they had they would have gone to the finals."

---

Might just be the worst coach in the NBA, PERIOD!!!

In reply to:

---

"Cartwright -- You will see how good he is in a couple of years when the BUlls field a contender."

In reply to:

---

THIS WASN'T ABOUT HOW GOOD HE COULD BE! THIS WAS HOW GOOD THEY WERE AS COACHES N-O-W!!! IT WAS YOUR OWN POST AND YOUR OWN LIST! QUIT MAKING [censored] UP NOW AND FACE YOUR PREJUDICE!

[Diesel]

Bill Cartwright ...

Took a 4 -23 team and lead them to a 21-61 record. Not a great improvement but they went from 0.148 to 0.310 winning average.

Not bad on improvement, especially considering that he took over in the middle of the season.

Cheeks.....

There was a lot wrong with PTL... Even the PTL team that Dunleavy left behind. Mainly, horrid Chemistry problems. Cheeks took all those attitudes (Now three yrs in) and he made them work together. With Kemp gone and Woods coming, maybe Cheeks will have an easier job.

Lowe.....

Sucks. Plain and simple.

Evans and Johnson......

Really nobody knows. Evans was just thrown in the mix. While Johnson took over for Skiles... But Johnson may be a good coach. Given one full yr, it would be interesting to see what Johnson and Cartwright do.

One coach that wasn't mentioned was Nate. I believe Nate is doing a very good job in Seattle. It will really be fun now that Baker is gone. Nate has control... Something that Karl didn't really have.

The question now is.. Was Karl worth 7 million??

[Guest Walter]

The question isn't whether they deserve shots at being NBA coaches, whether they compare favorably to Tim Floyd at the end of his rope, whether they

It's whether they are amongst the NBA's top 15 coaches!

Evans, Lowe, and Johnson certainly aren't. Cartwright is being (favorably?) compared relative to Krause buddy TIM FLOYD in year 3 when he had NO control of that team. He's not top 15. PULEAZE! Cheeks had one of the NBA's most talented teams and the same team that Dunleavey had when Dunleavey had worn out his welcome in Portland. They've gone to the playoffs since I was a kid!!!!!!!!!!!! Going to the playoffs is nothing new! Losing to the Lakers is nothing new. LOSING IN 3 GAMES IS NOTHING NEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They did it last year with the same team having a washed up and tuned out Dunleavy as their coach and with their throwing towels at each other. Cheeks is not a top 15 NBA coach.

I like McMillian, too. He appears to be top 15 to me.

However, the point remains. None of these other guys should have been top 15.

Mike Evans, Johnson, Lowe, Cartwright...?

Whateva.

W