by rick olivares pic by seth wenig/AP
The New York Knicks have hired Derek Fisher as their
new head coach. Fish’s appointment will be the second this season for first
time coaches with the other being Golden State’s Steve Kerr.
And no doubt once more, some quarters will lament the
unemployment of some former coaches of the year or even proven ones. But that is
the way of the world. Organizations can hire whoever they wish to whether
they’ve got the track record or not.
A lot of teams believe that former players can get
the job done as head coach but what we want to see is how former players who
won a NBA title have fared in their first season and if they have gone on to
win a championship.
Here’s a list (I might have missed out a few players)
of players who contributed prominently on their champion teams and who later
won a NBA title as head coach.
Perhaps the two most successful former players turned
coaches are Phil Jackson and Pat Riley.
Who doesn’t know their pedigree as a player and a
coach? But in terms of transition from player to head coach, Riley holds the
distinction of leading his team -- the Los Angeles Lakers -- to the title in
his very first year on the sidelines. Furthermore, he won three more
championships and was the preeminent Lakers coach until Jackson did him one
better in the new millennium with five championships including the Lakers’ first
three-peat since the club was in Minneapolis.
And incidentally,
both Jackson and Riley won championships as a coach with two different
franchises – Phil with Chicago and LA and Pat with Los Angeles and Miami –
proving that they are some of the top coaches in NBA history.
Now here are other former players greats who won a NBA title as a player and how they
fared in their first year in the NBA.
COACH
|
YEAR
|
TEAM
|
RECORD
|
FINISH
|
Danny Ainge
|
1996-97
|
Phoenix
|
40-34
|
4th in division
|
Elgin Baylor
|
1974-75
|
New Orleans
|
0-1
|
|
Larry Bird
|
1997-98
|
Indiana
|
58-24
|
2nd in division
|
Scott Brooks
|
2008-09
|
Oklahoma
|
22-47
|
5th in division
|
Quinn Buckner
|
1993-94
|
Dallas
|
13-69
|
6th in division
|
Rick Carlisle*
|
2001-02
|
Detroit
|
50-32
|
1st in division
|
M.L. Carr
|
1995-96
|
Boston
|
33-49
|
5th in division
|
Mo Cheeks
|
2001-02
|
Portland
|
49-33
|
3rd in division
|
Jim Cleamons
|
1996-97
|
Dallas
|
13-69
|
4th in division
|
Michael Cooper
|
2004-05
|
Denver Nuggets
|
4-10
|
2nd in division
|
Bob Cousy
|
1969-70
|
Cincinnati
|
36-46
|
5th in division
|
Dave Cowens
|
1978-79
|
Boston
|
27-41
|
5th in division
|
Billy Cunningham*
|
1977-78
|
Philadelphia
|
53-23
|
1st in division
|
Chris Ford
|
1990-91
|
Boston
|
56-26
|
1st in division
|
Matt Guokas
|
1985-86
|
Philadelphia
|
54-28
|
2nd in division
|
Tom Heinsohn*
|
1969-70
|
Boston
|
34-48
|
6th in division
|
Phil Jackson*
|
1989-90
|
Chicago
|
55-27
|
2nd in division
|
Avery Johnson
|
2004-05
|
Dallas
|
16-2
|
2nd in division
|
Dennis Johnson
|
2002-03
|
Los Angeles Clippers
|
8-16
|
7th in division
|
Magic Johnson
|
1993-94
|
Los Angeles Lakers
|
5-11
|
5th in division
|
KC Jones*
|
1973-74
|
Washington
|
47-35
|
1st in division; lost in NBA Finals
|
Jason Kidd
|
2013-14
|
Brooklyn
|
44-38
|
2nd in division
|
Terry Porter
|
2003-04
|
Milwaukee
|
41-41
|
4th in division
|
Kurt Rambis
|
1998-99
|
Los Angeles Lakers
|
24-13
|
2nd in division
|
Pat Riley*
|
1981-82
|
Los Angeles Lakers
|
50-21
|
NBA Champion
|
Bill Russell*
|
1966-67
|
Boston
|
60-21
|
2nd
|
Byron Scott
|
2000-01
|
New Jersey
|
26-56
|
6th in division
|
Bill Sharman*
|
1966-67
|
San Francisco
|
44-37
|
1st in division; lost in NBA Finals
|
Brian Shaw
|
2013-14
|
Denver
|
36-46
|
4th in division
|
Isiah Thomas
|
2000-01
|
Indiana
|
41-41
|
4th in division
|
Wes Unseld
|
1987-88
|
Washington
|
30-25
|
2nd in division
|
Jerry West
|
1976-77
|
Los Angeles Lakers
|
53-29
|
1st in division; lost in WC Finals
|
·
indicates that
the coach win a NBA championship
On that list above, only eight have won a NBA
championship.
And of those eight, four have won with the team they
played with during their career – Billy Cunningham (Philadelphia 76ers), Tom
Heinsohn (Boston Celtics), Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks), Pat Riley (Los
Angeles Lakers), and Bill Russell (Boston Celtics).
And of those eight once more, four won a NBA
Championship ring with the same team they began their coaching career – Billy
Cunningham, Tom Heinsohn, Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, and Bill Russell.
Russell is the only one to accomplish that feat will
serving as a player-coach when he won back-to-back titles from 1967-69.
Boston, the NBA’s most storied franchise has a knack
for producing some top caliber coaches.
To wit, the 1958-59 Boston Celtics were not only NBA
champions that season but also produced five coaches in Bob Cousy, Tom
Heinsohn, KC Jones, Bill Russell, and Bill Sharman. Save for Cousy, all the
others won a NBA championship as head coach. A tip of the hat to the late Red
Auerbach for his protégés’ success!
The 1984 Celtics also produced later coaches in Larry
Bird, Kevin McHale, Quinn Buckner, M.L. Carr, Danny Ainge, and Dennis Johnson.
The Boston team of 1985-86 likewise produced another
platoon of coaches beginning with Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Danny Ainge, Dennis
Johnson, and Rick Carlisle with the latter being the only one to lift a the NBA
trophy as sideline boss.
Is the pressure on for Derek Fisher and Steve Kerr?
Without a doubt they’ve got their work cut out for them. Next season will be
interesting to see how they fare not only as a first time coach but also as
former champions adapting into a new environment.
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