Even though there are numerous free agent dominoes left to fall, the 2014-15 NBA season is fast approaching. Summer League has already begun, and the coaches are beginning to have a chance to influence and grow the ample young talent in the league.
Just as there are tiers separating the talent levels of the players, so too are there tiers when it comes to the best coaches. While it’s true that some of what makes a coach great are the circumstances he inherits (who knows how we look at Gregg Popovich if there’s no Tim Duncan, or Phil Jackson without Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Shaq), it’s also a fact that not all coaches are created equal. There’s a reason, after all, that some bounce around the league to numerous teams, while others hold down the same job for over a decade.
In such a volatile profession, these rankings can change quickly. The NBA is undoubtedly a players’ league, and the guys on the court hold significantly more sway over a coach’s fate than the coach himself does. However, that does not mean a coach can’t make a big impact on his team, and that’s why we’re Ranking Every Current NBA Head Coach: From Worst to Worst.
Note: The Los Angeles Lakers still haven’t hired a head coach, so the list only contains 29 teams.
Even though there are numerous free agent dominoes left to fall, the 2014-15 NBA season is fast approaching. Summer League has already begun, and the coaches are beginning to have a chance to influence and grow the ample young talent in the league.
Just as there are tiers separating the talent levels of the players, so too are there tiers when it comes to the best coaches. While it’s true that some of what makes a coach great are the circumstances he inherits (who knows how we look at Gregg Popovich if there’s no Tim Duncan, or Phil Jackson without Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Shaq), it’s also a fact that not all coaches are created equal. There’s a reason, after all, that some bounce around the league to numerous teams, while others hold down the same job for over a decade.
In such a volatile profession, these rankings can change quickly. The NBA is undoubtedly a players’ league, and the guys on the court hold significantly more sway over a coach’s fate than the coach himself does. However, that does not mean a coach can’t make a big impact on his team, and that’s why we’re Ranking Every Current NBA Head Coach: From Worst to Worst.
Note: The Los Angeles Lakers still haven’t hired a head coach, so the list only contains 29 teams.
29. Jacque Vaughn
Coaching record: 43-121
Years as NBA head coach: 2
Playoff appearances: 0
Team(s) coached: Orlando Magic
Current team: Orlando Magic
It has not been a hugely impressive two years in Orlando for Jacque Vaughn. While he has not been blessed with the most talented of rosters, 20 and 23 wins in consecutive years is not much in the way of improvement. Vaughn is still young, but with another top pick joining the team in Aaron Gordon, he's going to need to start producing some more wins if he hopes to hang onto his job beyond this season.
28. Quin Snyder
Coaching record: 0-0
Years as NBA head coach: 0
Playoff appearances: N/A
Team(s) coached: Utah Jazz
Current team: Utah Jazz
Following a tumultuous end to his tenure at Missouri, Quin Snyder quickly climbed the coaching ladder in the pro ranks and earned his way into the Jazz head coaching job for this season. He's coached in the D-League and as an assistant for the Lakers and Hawks, as well as a season in Russia as an assistant with CSKA Moscow.
He'll be tasked with turning around a young Jazz team that has a talented roster but has not been able to translate that into wins as of yet.
27. Mike Malone
Coaching record: 28-54
Years as NBA head coach: 1
Playoff appearances: 0
Team(s) coached: Sacramento Kings
Current team: Sacramento Kings
Mike Malone does not exactly have the easiest situation of all time in Sacramento. He's got a legendary head case to deal with in DeMarcus Cousins, a new owner looking to win now, and a highly-fluid roster that saw 23 different players take the court last season. These would be tough circumstances for any boss, let alone a guy who had never been a head coach before. The Kings do have some talent, though, and will need Malone to help get them heading in the right direction this year.
26. Brett Brown
Coaching record: 19-63
Years as NBA head coach: 1
Playoff appearances: 0
Team(s) coached: Philadelphia 76ers
Current team: Philadelphia 76ers
It's kind of hard to know how good a coach Brett Brown actually is, given the roster he was handed in his first year as an NBA head coach. We'll say this, though; the fact that he won 19 games last season is remarkable. You may forget now, but the Sixers came roaring out of the gate at 3-0 and 5-4 before going into a complete tailspin and piling up an historically bad 26-game losing streak.
That Brown got them to play well enough to be at least .500 until mid-November is an impressive accomplishment.
25. Kevin McHale
Coaching record: 172-152
Years as NBA head coach: 5
Playoff appearances: 2
Team(s) coached: Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets
Current team: Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets' busy offseason has taken some of the heat off coach Kevin McHale, with whom many fans were quite dissatisfied after last season's first round playoff exit. His relative lack of imagination on offense is troubling given the talent the Rockets possess, and if they are able to add Chris Bosh or Carmelo Anthony then the pressure on McHale to produce is only going to mount. If they don't get off to a good start, he could be the first coach to go this year.
24. Steve Kerr
Coaching record: 0-0
Years as NBA head coach: 0
Playoff appearances: N/A
Team(s) coached: Golden State Warriors
Current team: Golden State Warriors
We really have absolutely no clue as to whether Steve Kerr will be a good coach. He was always insightful and interesting when broadcasting games for TNT, was a pretty cerebral player during his career, and had some success in the front office for Phoenix. But none of that is actually coaching. We assume he's worked at a camp or run an AAU team or something, but it will be very interesting to see how he does when matched up against some of the league's most experienced coaches.
23. Derek Fisher
Coaching record: 0-0
Years as NBA head coach: 0
Playoff appearances: N/A
Team(s) coached: New York Knicks
Current team: New York Knicks
It's a little weird that, on May 31, Derek Fisher played over 32 minutes in a playoff game against the San Antonio Spurs, and that not even six weeks later he's on the bench as the head coach of one of the most scrutinized teams in sports. A year ago, this wouldn't have happened; the NBA is a copycat league, though, and with Jason Kidd taking the reins in Brooklyn last year it opened up the possibility for players to immediately become coaches.
Plus, Phil Jackson knows Fisher and knows he'll run the exact system that Phil wants. So that had to help a little bit.
22. David Blatt
Coaching record: 0-0
Years as NBA head coach: 0
Playoff appearances: N/A
Team(s) coached: Cleveland Cavaliers
Current team: Cleveland Cavaliers
While David Blatt may be an NBA novice, he's no stranger to high-level basketball. Blatt has been one of the most accomplished coaches in international basketball for years now; his Maccabi Tel Aviv team won the Euroleague this past season, the Israeli Cup in 2013, and both the Israeli Cup and the Israeli League in 2012. He also guided Russia to a gold medal at the 2007 FIBA EuroBasket tournament and a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics.
Kyrie Irving, Andrew Wiggins, and the rest of the Cavaliers will be lucky to have him.
21. Mike Budenholzer
Coaching record: 38-44
Years as NBA head coach: 1
Playoff appearances: 1
Team(s) coached: Atlanta Hawks
Current team: Atlanta Hawks
Mike Budenholzer was one of the most under-the-radar coaching hires last year. A career assistant under Gregg Popovich beginning in 1996-97, Budenholzer finally got the head job in Atlanta last season and proved to be more than capable when put in charge of his own team. He helped the Hawks overcome the injury to Al Horford, making the playoffs and pushing the No. 1 seeded Pacers to the brink. With Horford now back to team with All-Star Paul Millsap, Budenholzer should be able to push his team into a more favorable playoff position.
20. Flip Saunders
Coaching record: 638-526
Years as NBA head coach: 16
Playoff appearances: 11
Team(s) coached: Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, Washington WIzards
Current team: Minnesota Timberwolves
Flip Saunders had some good years in Minnesota and Detroit, teaming up first with Kevin Garnett with the Timberwolves and then with the Chauncey Billups-Rip Hamilton-Tayshaun Prince-Ben Wallace-Rasheed Wallace core in Detroit. While he's never won a title, Saunders knows how to at least get his teams "in the tournament," as the expression goes. Some lean years in Washington, however, do make us wonder if the almost 60-year-old is ready for what lies ahead in Minnesota.
19. Scott Brooks
Coaching record: 293-170
Years as NBA head coach: 6
Playoff appearances: 5
Team(s) coached: Oklahoma City Thunder
Current team: Oklahoma City Thunder
Look, it's easy to take shots at Scott Brooks. And we certainly have in the past, and probably will in the future. And, to be fair, the guy obviously can coach, given that he's put together an average of 48–plus wins per season and has made the playoffs all but one year since he was named head coach of the Thunder. However, the disjointed OKC offense and just the one Finals appearance despite having two of the 10 best players in the league is enough for us to say that he isn't doing enough.
18. Jason Kidd
Coaching record: 44-38
Years as NBA head coach: 1
Playoff appearances: 1
Team(s) coached: Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks
Current team: Milwaukee Bucks
While Jason Kidd's shady behavior the last couple weeks doesn't actually say anything about his coaching acumen, we'd be lying if we said it didn't bring back a lot of memories of his amateurish behavior throughout this past season. Whether it was "hit me, hit me" or the atrocious 10-21 start, there were a lot of times where Kidd looked completely over-matched and over his head. While the team rebounded nicely when Kidd committed to a small ball lineup (due in no small part to Brook Lopez's season-ending injury), he now faces a much tougher challenge in Milwaukee.
17. Monty Williams
Coaching record: 128-184
Years as NBA head coach: 4
Playoff appearances: 1
Team(s) coached: New Orleans Pelicans
Current team: New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans handed Monty Williams a difficult task in juggling the backcourt of Eric Gordon, Jrue Holliday, and Tyreke Evans, and the group did not mesh especially well. Despite having one of the league's elite rising stars in Anthony Davis, the Pelicans won just 34 games and never seriously threatened for a playoff spot.
With a lifetime winning percentage of just .410, Williams will need to show some serious improvement this season to avoid the hot seat.
16. Brian Shaw
Coaching record: 36-46
Years as NBA head coach: 1
Playoff appearances: 0
Team(s) coached: Denver Nuggets
Current team: Denver Nuggets
It seemed like years of having his name tossed around as the next big head coach in the NBA before Brian Shaw actually got his chance, and his first year in Denver yielded mixed results. After ten consecutive playoff appearances (two under Jeff Bzdelik, eight under George Karl), the Nuggets missed the playoffs with a disappointing 36 wins. Having Ty Lawson for just 62 games and Javale McGee for only five didn't help matters, but this year Shaw will be asked to do more with his very talented roster.
15. Brad Stevens
Coaching record: 25-57
Years as NBA head coach: 1
Playoff appearances: 0
Team(s) coached: Boston Celtics
Current team: Boston Celtics
Expectations out of Boston were not all that high last season, and arguably the biggest thing to come out of that ugly 25-win season was Brad Stevens. The former Butler coach proved that he belongs in the NBA, designing an offense that revolved around Jeff Green and Jared Sullinger but still managed to score points, and even getting Kris Humphries to look like he cared for long stretches. The fact that the Celtics were still playing hard in game 82 is a testament to the way Stevens communicates with his players, and bodes well for the future.
14. Dwane Casey
Coaching record: 158-194
Years as NBA head coach: 5
Playoff appearances: 1
Team(s) coached: Minnesota Timberwolves, Toronto Raptors
Current team: Toronto Raptors
The Raptors were another team people didn't have huge expectations for, but coach Dwane Casey helped instill a belief in them that led to 48 wins, an Atlantic Division title, and the No. 3 overall seed in the Eastern Conference. While they did fall in the first round, the whole team will be back this year and should be able to contend again. Plus, how can you not love a guy who takes the subway to a playoff game?
13. Lionel Hollins
Coaching record: 214-201
Years as NBA head coach: 7
Playoff appearances: 3
Team(s) coached: Vancouver Grizzlies, Memphis Grizzlies, Brooklyn Nets
Current team: Brooklyn Nets
It's still kind of unclear to us as to why Lionel Hollins didn't have a job last season. He won a franchise record 56 games with Memphis in 2012-13, guiding them to their first ever Conference Finals. The team had bought into his "grit and grind" philosophy, and it seemed natural that they'd hammer out a contract extension. Only, it never happened, and the accomplished Hollins drifted in coaching purgatory for over a year until a Jason Kidd flip-flop freed up the Nets' job and gave Hollins a new home.
12. Stan Van Gundy
Coaching record: 371-208
Years as NBA head coach: 8
Playoff appearances: 7
Team(s) coached: Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons
Current team: Detroit Pistons
While Shaq fancies calling Stan Van Gundy the "Master of Panic," there's no doubting that the animated Van Gundy has an excellent track record as a coach. He's never had a losing season, and has finished with a sub .600 winning percentage just once when he's had a chance to coach a full 82-game slate. His experience in Detroit may test that theory, but he's undoubtedly got some talent to work with.
The question is: Will Josh Smith feud with Van Gundy even more than Dwight Howard did?
11. Randy Wittman
Coaching record: 191-329
Years as NBA head coach: 8
Playoff appearances: 1
Team(s) coached: Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Washington Wizards
Current team: Washington Wizards
Until last season, Randy Wittman had never taken a team to the playoffs despite having been a head coach for seven seasons. The eighth time was the charm, as Wittman helped guide a young Wizards team into the postseason and helped them push the Pacers to the brink. He did a fine job pairing Marcin Gortat and Nene together, creating a system that allowed the two big men to complement both each other and the Bradley Beal-John Wall backcourt duo.
He also found a role for Trevor Ariza that is going to make the small forward a very rich man this summer.
10. Dave Joerger
Coaching record: 50-32
Years as NBA head coach: 1
Playoff appearances: 1
Team(s) coached: Memphis Grizzlies
Current team: Memphis Grizzlies
It's kind of amazing that after a season in which they won 50 games despite only having Marc Gasol for 59 of them, the Grizzlies were prepared to let Dave Joerger go to Minnesota. Joerger clearly had a positive impact on the team, and yet they seemed all too happy to let him go before signing him to a contract extension when he returned. The fact remains, though, that the job he did in his first season has to be commended; the Grizzlies weathered injuries to Tony Allen and Gasol, and after a rough 15-19 start went 35-13 the rest of the way to surge to a playoff spot.
9. Frank Vogel
Coaching record: 167-100
Years as NBA head coach: 4
Playoff appearances: 4
Team(s) coached: Indiana Pacers
Current team: Indiana Pacers
It may be a few years yet until we truly understand the depth of the dysfunction Frank Vogel was handed last season. Fist fights in practice and players blowing in opponents' ears may just be the tip of the iceberg when all is said and done. While many will question Vogel given some of the truly abysmal performances the Pacers had last year, it's worth mentioning that they have improved every year under him, made the Eastern Conference Finals two years in a row, and have developed a star in Paul George under Vogel's watch.
8. Steve Clifford
Coaching record: 43-39
Years as NBA head coach: 1
Playoff appearances: 1
Team(s) coached: Charlotte Hornets
Current team: Charlotte Hornets
It took Steve Clifford one season to accomplish what four of his five predecessors could not: make the playoffs with the Charlotte Bobcats. In his first season at the helm, Clifford guided a reinvigorated Bobcats squad to a 49-39 finish and No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The presence of Al Jefferson undoubtedly helped, but even so Clifford got the team to buy into a defense-first mentality that allowed them to finish fourth in the NBA in points allowed per game.
7. Erik Spolestra
Coaching record: 314-162
Years as NBA head coach: 6
Playoff appearances: 6
Team(s) coached: Miami Heat
Current team: Miami Heat
All that talk of Erik Spolestra being over his head with the Big Three really died down, didn't it? The Heat's coach has never missed the playoffs in six years at the helm, and has done an incredible job getting LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh to buy into a system that forces each of them to give something up. He managed to win two titles without a legitimate starting center or a top-level point guard, and from game to game seems to make all the right adjustments.
6. Terry Stotts
Coaching record: 202-245
Years as NBA head coach: 6
Playoff appearances: 2
Team(s) coached: Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trail Blazers
Current team: Portland Trail Blazers
After watching the way in which the Trail Blazers shocked everyone out of the gate last year, we owe Terry Stotts a ton of praise. He's presided over the development of Damian Lillard from unheralded draft pick into All-Star, and got LaMarcus Aldridge to buy into Sotts' program after the forward had asked to be traded. Portland will not surprise anyone this season, though, and Stotts will need to be extra prepared if he wants to sustain last season's impressive level of success.
5. Jeff Hornacek
Coaching record: 48-34
Years as NBA head coach: 1
Playoff appearances: 0
Team(s) coached: Phoenix Suns
Current team: Phoenix Suns
Many pundits picked the Phoenix Suns and rookie head coach Jeff Hornacek to finish at or near the bottom of the Western Conference last year. We're pretty sure that won't be happening this season, as behind the outstanding efforts of their backcourt of Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe the Suns shocked everyone with a 48-win season and just narrowly missing the playoffs.
Much credit has been assigned to Hornacek, who coaxed career-best performances out of pretty much everyone on the roster.
4. Doc Rivers
Coaching record: 644-498
Years as NBA head coach: 15
Playoff appearances: 11
Team(s) coached: Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers
Current team: Los Angeles Clippers
It says something about Doc Rivers that it took a first round pick to get him out of Boston and over to the Clippers, and likewise that Los Angeles was perfectly happy to give it up. In addition to his acumen as an offensive coach and an absolute master designing plays out of timeouts, Doc put on a master class last season in crisis management. He somehow was able to keep the Clippers focused enough during the Donald Sterling debacle to get past the Warriors and give a healthy Thunder team an tough series.
3. Rick Carlisle
Coaching record: 569-399
Years as NBA head coach: 12
Playoff appearances: 11
Team(s) coached: Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Dallas Mavericks
Current team: Dallas Mavericks
Rick Carlisle has accomplished something that perhaps no other coach can claim: he's gotten Vince Carter to stop acting like he's been shot every time he falls down. Seriously, though, few coaches have been better than Carlisle over the last six years. He's never had a losing record in Dallas, won an NBA title over the favored Miami Heat in 2011-12, and has had only one sub .500 season in 12 years as a head coach.
2. Tom Thibodeau
Coaching record: 205-107
Years as NBA head coach: 4
Playoff appearances: 4
Team(s) coached: Chicago Bulls
Current team: Chicago Bulls
Last year's coaching performance was simply superb, as the Bulls were able to weather the loss of Derrick Rose and the trade of Luol Deng to not just make the playoffs, but look good while doing it. The reclamation of D.J. Augustin and the development of Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler into vital members of the team is a testament to both the players' will to win and the coach's ability to coax their best out of them.
Should the Bulls land Carmelo Anthony and Tom Thibodeau gets him to play defense, we might as well get Thibs' Hall of Fame plaque ready now.
1. Gregg Popovich
Coaching record: 967-443
Years as NBA head coach: 18
Playoff appearances: 17
Team(s) coached: San Antonio Spurs
Current team: San Antonio Spurs
There's no more fitting king of the coaching mountain than Gregg Popovich. He somehow always finds a way to push the right buttons with his teams, takes no crap from anyone (even sideline reporters), and has built a top-to-bottom system that manages to turn pretty much any end-of-the-bench scrub into a functional role player. Nobody in the NBA is better at getting more out of his players and making every single one feel important.
The five rings tell you pretty much everything you need to know as do his three Coach of the Year awards.