New York Knicks: What Coaching Tier is Tom Thibodeau?

New York Knicks: What Coaching Tier is Tom Thibodeau? – Tier A

Tier A: Coaching Hall of Famers

• Doc Rivers (Philadelphia 76ers)
• Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat)
• Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs)
• Rick Carlisle (Dallas Mavericks)
• Steve Kerr (Golden State Warriors)

All of these guys have one thing in common – NBA Championships follow by other years of success with less talent. Steve Kerr is probably the cut-off to Tier B given his slew of stars coaches. However, it’s difficult to leave off a 3-time champion from this tier, no matter who they had on the roster. This year, Kerr did do more with less, so there is reason to believe he isn’t just a player-led coach.

Doc Rivers and Rick Carlisle both only have one NBA Championship, but they’ve had so much success over the years. Both rank in the top 20 in coaching wins all-time, with Rivers just a few away from 1,000 career regular-season wins.

Spoelstra and Popovich could even be a tier higher because they really have the best coaching resumes. Spoelstra hardly took a hit moving from LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh to Jimmy Butler. Popovich is on pace to become the all-time regular-season wins lead during the 2021-22 season and has a current-day unmatched five NBA Championships.

There’s a reason why these guys are all Tier A. Whether they’ve stayed with one team and been able to win with different rosters or built title contenders in different cities, these coaches all get it done on the sidelines no matter what the challenge is.