Elite Coaches Since 1990: No.1

1. Phil Jackson

There is no question that Phil Jackson is the best coach since 1990, if not, since, ever. Sure, people argue all the time that Jackson coached elite talent, such as Jordan, Pippen, Shaq, or Bryant, but if you follow the NBA enough, you will probably realize that talent alone doesn't win championships. For example, this past season, the Miami Heat had 3 of the best players in the NBA, but were completed dominated by the Spurs, a less talented but much better coached team.

Further, how many championships did Jordan, Pippen, Shaq, or Bryant win independent of Phil Jackson? Zero. Ok, so Shaq did win 1 with the Heat...

From 1989 to 2011, with a few years off in between, Jackson won 1640 games with a 70.4% winning percentage. However, the most impressive statistics involve the NBA Finals. During this time span, Jackson led his teams to the NBA Finals 13 times and won 11 of them. 11 NBA titles ranks Phil Jackson as #1 all-time in the NBA, edging Red Auerbach's 9 NBA Championships. 

Some may argue that coaches, such as Coach K, Pop, or Wooden, are the best basketball coaches in terms of fundamentals, but at the end of the day, coaches are generally judged most by championships. Phil is #1 in my book and is arguably the best coach I have seen in any sport for managing a multitude of egos and personalities, including Dennis Rodman. It will be interesting to see how Jackson performs as President of the New York Knicks. 

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No. 2: Pat Summitt