by bhatta on Wed Oct 11, 2006 1:14 am
Well .. since Phil gets so much out of his players, can we consider Pat Riley to be the greatest coach in Laker history? I mean, he DID win more championships for the franchise than Phil has and certainly got the most of that team, right?
Riley doesn't get his credit because he had a team full of Hall of Famers. In fact, one of those squads featured four number one overall picks. Is Phil really that much better than Pat Riley?
Again, I'm ready to be proven wrong by the Lakers having a great season this year. But you have to even admit that a championship isn't even close to being considered realistically. Wouldn't a coach with such great ability make his team a contender regardless of personnel (to an extent - I'm not saying a great coach can win a championship with CL members ... although I'm sure some of you can ball).