New idea I had...Coaches with the best all-time lineups?

[M Dogg™]

To say I hate this son of a bitch is an understatement. I am too young to ever see him coach, but what he did in the 60's still eats at me. It's because of him that I can't say the Lakers have more titles than anyone else in the NBA. With that said, I'll throw Red Auerbach in here because I do feel he deserves his due. One thing I noticed putting this team together, he ran a damn small team, even for his era. Very interesting. I guess every great coach has that one thing, Red ran small teams, Riley switched his style to the team but always had tough D, and Jackson was the only coach to run the triangle.

I still wish at the end of the 2010 Finals, Jackson did this on the court.



Red Auerbach:

PG Bob Cousy
SG Sam Jones
SF John Havlicek
PF Ed Macauley
C  Bill Russell

Bench:
PG Larry Siegfried, SG Bill Sharman, G/F Frank Ramsey, G/F Bob Feerick, PF Mike Todorovich, C/F Tom Heinsohn, C/F Jack Nichols

[M Dogg™]

I guess since I was looking at these, I notice both are only 10 deep and both are is missing back up forwards. So I just added a couple of players for each.

Phil Jackson:

G Kobe Bryant
SG Michael Jordan
SF Scottie Pippen (really the point guard in this line up, but then again the triangle doesn't need a real point guard)
PF Dennis Rodman
C Shaquille O'Neal

bench: PG John Paxson. PG Derek Fisher, SG Ron Harper, PF Horace Grant, F/C Pau Gasol, I'd add SF Rick Fox and F Toni Kukoc.

and

Pat Riely: (damn that's a tall starting line up)

PG Magic Johnson
SG Dwayne Wade
SF James Worthy
PF Patrick Ewing
C  Kareem Abdul Jabbar

bench: PG Tim Hardaway, SG Michael Cooper, SG John Starks, PF Charles Oakley, C Alonzo Mourning, I'd add SF Jamal Mashburn and SF Jamaal Wilkes (how can you forget those two, they were amazing!)

[Hack Wilson - real]

that Riley team is best...far more balanced than Jackson's which is only heavy at SG

[M Dogg™]

that Riley team is best...far more balanced than Jackson's which is only heavy at SG

Riley vs. Red would have been a complete clash of styles. Even for his time, Red ran a small line up, and Riley always had a dominate center, so much so that Shaq isn't even in his starting lineup. It would be very interesting.

Phil's team only works because he runs the triangle. In this case Scottie would be the point guard, and when Michael or Kobe rest, you can put in Fisher or Paxon. What's funny is this would be similar to the 1995-1998 teams, as Harper was technically the starting PG, but Harper never played point guard, and it was Pippen who brought up the ball and distributed. Harper was only a PG in that he guarded the other team's PG. So it would be similar, only with Jordan and Bryant in your back court. So Phil's team would be a challenge as well as it would run similarly to the 1995-1998 teams. The only thing is that those teams had Jordan play the center position on offense, as the ball always went to Jordan in the paint. In LA, Shaq was the traditional triangle center and the ball was thrown into him for him to distribute or take himself. Forget Kobe/Shaq, MJ/Shaq would have HUGE problems on the same team. You might have to play more Gasol with Jordan and more Fisher with Shaq. Oh, that would all be trouble.

Not sure who I like out of everyone, but I am leaning Riley. Magic woul help all chemistry, and everyone on that team is rather balanced. Phil's team is basically the greatest triangle roster ever, but it would be a bitch to manage all of that.