Coaches > Players

[Dward00]

You guys realize that the 2 champion teams in the NFL, and NBA have the only 1 of a kind coaches?

Greg Popovich - There's nobody else with his expertise(Larry Brown is an idiot, it's true). He speaks like 5 different languages, he's the only take-control coach in the NBA(not counting LB), and his diversity in 'real' basketball experience is definitely larger then any other coach.

Bill Belichik - I think most people think this guy came out of nowhere. He's been working in the NFL since 1979(ST coordinator, D coordinater, Browns head coach). The coach with the second amount of NFL experience, not counting Joe Gibbs, has only been working in the NFL since 1990.

So what's my point? Coaches > Players, and experience counts.

It's probably true in Baseball too, but I'm not a baseball fan so someone would have to clarify that to me. I dunno, Tommy Lasorda?

I'd just like to know if anyone agrees, or disagrees with me, or can add some insight to it. thx.

[Timberwolf]

I am a huge fan of coaches for sure, but you gotta have players that are an extension of the coaches such as following the coaches order and being a coach on the court. Players win games and they make coaches look good. You can have the right coach, but you better have the best personnel as Larry Brown can attest and Flip Saunders can attest from his Timberwolves days. IMO, I think GM matters more than players or coaches in basketball. The GM and his staff need to find the right players that would fit the GM and coach's vision of success. Look at Joe Dumars. He builds a team that plays with heart, integerity, and high IQ. He built that Pistons roster step by step and now his fruit of labor has shown. In basketball, you need a GM. Dumars is the highest end of the spectrum while Kevin McHale/Isiah Thomas are the lowest end of the spectrum.

I think Tony LaRussa is a great leader who can get his players to play as a unit and he gets the most out of them. As much as I hate Bobby Valentine as a human being, I think Bobby is in that cloth too of guys who can get the most out of his players as his work with the 1997 Mets speak for itself.