How does Flip Saunders rank as an NBA Coach?

I've been trying not to prejudice but I couldn't. The players float he floats, player sink he sinks, he's just riding their coat-tail.

I think he's in the top half, but not the top 12. Here's my top 12, in no particular order:

Scott Skiles (defense and intensity)
Avery Johnson (passion and motivation)
George Karl (creative and a bit crazy)
Don Nelson (very creative -- we'd have good plays out of timeouts!)
Jeff Van Gundy (DEE-fense)
Rick Carlisle (ironic, I know, but his teams are always tough to play)
Phil Jackson (Ph.D. in ego management)
Pat Riley (he's never outcoached)
Isiah Thomas (Zeke!)
Gregg Popovich (very demanding -- but fair -- and always prepared)
Sam Mitchell (call me crazy, but he's very straightforward and doing a nice job in Toronto)
Jerry Sloan (effort! precision! teamwork! or you're benched!)

Don't get caught up in the moment of things. A shorter list of what I explained in the coach equation might read: money, market, players, maturity and luck.

The little general was dealt a very good hand. Nelson, in the over-all concept of coaching, has forgotten more than Johnson will ever know.

It's ok. It all evens out.

I ranked him a bit low. I think I shoulda given him a 4...maybe a 5 instead of a 3.

9 - In the top 6 Luke Slippywalker, Maverick, pass99

You guys are easily impressed.

Yesterday, he was one of the top 3 coaches in the NBA. Today, he is the worst coach of all time. LOL.

You're only as good as your last Championship.

Flip smells pretty rank to me so I would rank him pretty high.

Is the general consensus that about 50% of current non-champiosnhip coaches i.e. anyone not named Pops, Jackson, Riley are pretty much a lock to take this team to the Finals? What is the measure of better than Flip? Playing better defense, playing harder etc. or showing tangible results in terms of an extended playoff run and a championship? I understand the frustration with Flip and the desire to replace him, but I don't think any one of the better coaches mentioned i.e. Skiles, AJ, Sloan etc. guarantee the end results expected by fans.

I believe only the top 4 on your list have won an NBA title and it took Brown over 20 years of coaching at the professional level to win one.

I think Sloan is the most overrated active coach in the NBA. Yes he may be a nice guy. and Yes he is coaching, well we all know where he is coaching, but the guy has never one a title and only gotten to the Finals, I believe one time where Michael demolished him and his team.

Sloan even has a worse track record than Flipper, because Sloan has been at it a lot longer than Flipper and has had two Hall of Fame guys on his squad for over 10 years in the primes of their careers and still couldn't win the only thing that matters and that is "The Title".

Ive heard that deron williams becoming so good came as a direct result of summer tutoring by none other then John Stockton himself,

Which is only another example of if you are well liked and stay around long enough you can get elected to the HOF.

So Sloan got to the Finals twice instead of once. I would respectively disagree that he made Stockton and Malone HOFers. That is like saying that Magic learned everything he knew about playing guard from Riley.

Those we like we always elevate above their true capabilites and those we dislike we always discredit their capabilities.

Flipper will never be loved by the majority of Piston fans even if he wins 5 world titles as Pistons' head coach, (Though right now I would settle for one, this year)

That's true. It's amazing how smart somebody becomes when they get titles.

That is true. But he still won't be loved by the Pistons fans. LOL

I know its hard, but lets give Flipper a little credit for tonight's win against the Suns. He did have them prepared and they did execute.