New York Knicks: What Coaching Tier is Tom Thibodeau?
New York Knicks: What Coaching Tier is Tom Thibodeau? – Tier D
Tier D: Good, but not Great
- Billy Donovan (Chicago Bulls)
- Dwane Casey (Detroit Pistons)
- Michael Malone (Denver Nuggets)
- Monty Williams (Phoenix Suns)
- Nate McMillan (Atlanta Hawks)
- Steve Clifford (Orlando Magic)
This is where I sense a lot of arguments. Many of these coaches could be in Tier C, and I’ll even offer some of them up for that debate. Michael Malone’s one of the brightest coaches in the NBA, Nate McMillan has over 600 career wins, and Scott Brooks led the Oklahoma City Thunder to an NBA Finals appearance.
But to play devil’s advocate, Malone has also just recently turned Denver into a playoff team after five previous misses with the Kings and Nuggets. McMillan has made the playoffs multiple times, but has had a career of moving up and down as a head and assistant coach, and has only reached the second round as a head coach twice in his ten playoff appearances.
Most of the other coaches in this tier have the same types of resumes as those three. Monty Williams has the best chance to turn it around, with the Phoenix Suns locking in the first spot in the Conference Finals.
The one key thing to note here is any team hiring these coaches will get a good one but isn’t promised to reach the playoffs every year. In Tier C, the coaches have much better and consistent playoff track records but just haven’t eclipsed that mark to win the NBA Finals.