2015-2016 NBA Season Review

This NBA season was filled with a lot of ups and downs for me. There were some spectacular moments, some cool moments, and some not so cool moments. It is all up for review here.

Let's start with the main team that this blog has focused on, the San Antonio Spurs...
The Spurs had a monumentally successful regular season. San Antonio won 67 games this year, which is a franchise record. However, the team was shocking ousted in the 2nd round by a younger and seemingly hungrier Thunder team. It was great to see the regular season and Duncan still being a contributor at his age, while hoping for him to get another ring and go out on top. It was cool to see the transformation to it being Kawhi's team and to see Leonard emerge as a true MVP candidate. Seeing Popovich's unselfish system continue to thrive is never a bad thing either...

So what happened in the playoffs?
The Spurs like I said, were outworked by a younger and hungrier team. It seems that everything was clicking all the way through Game 1 of the second round. This team dismantled the Thunder in Game 1. Then Father Time caught up with San Antonio in a big way for the rest of the series. Tim Duncan looked terrible all series until the deciding Game 6 when he tried to give it one last hurrah. It was painful to see at times. The knees and back were affecting his play and he just seemed to be losing it. For someone that has seen Duncan dominate for so long it was sad. It was sadder in knowing that this is probably it for Duncan and that he likely will not get to 6 championships now. A class individual and class player like Duncan should get to go out on top for the classiest organization in sports. Not meant to be though. The Thunder wanted it more and deserved the Western Conference Final appearance more. While it is sad that Duncan is likely done, the future is bright for Kawhi Leonard and possibly for the San Antonio Spurs still because of Leonard.

Now to the team that ousted the Spurs....
I have not focused too much on the Thunder here at ran. I don't think most of the people that read my stuff care too much. However, the Wizards fans care about Durant and the team has intrigue because they knocked out the Spurs. Kevin Durant is perhaps the most likable guy in the league and him leading the Thunder to knock out the Spurs is good for him and probably for the NBA. Getting more eyeballs on him and Westbrook is great for the NBA. Speaking of Russell Westbrook, I'm happy to see the haters starting to go away. The guy is an elite NBA player. Easily top 10 in the game and probably top 5. He needs to be treated as such. Glad to see Westbrook finally get that respect. The 1,2 punch of Durant and Westbrook will likely stay. Sorry for all of the #KD2DC fans out there. This combo is too great to break up.

The combo also has one of the best coaches in the NBA. As a die-hard Nole, I cannot tell you how excited it makes me that Billy Donovan is coaching the Oklahoma City Thunder instead of coaching in Gainesville. This guy just knows basketball. He is one of the elite basketball minds on the planet. Assuming that Durant stays with the Thunder (I assume he will), this team has future NBA Champs written all over it.

Heck they almost won this year. The Thunder were up 3-1 on the team with the best record in the NBA during the Western Conference Finals. Did it all come crashing down?
Yes. It came crashing down when the Warriors made the proper adjustments and their two best players finally started playing like they had all season. Klay Thompson took over the series and the Warriors ended up winning. The team had the best regular season record in NBA history for a reason. Still, the Thunder had them down 3-1. That says a lot about the potential of Oklahoma City.

The Thunder certainly upgraded over Scott Brooks with Billy Donovan. However, Brooks was a good coach that helped the Thunder get to the next point. He helped develop two young superstars. Brooks is a great hire for the team that I do regularly talk about, the Washington Wizards. Hired just a few weeks ago, Brooks looks to improve on his career 62% winning percentage in a weak Eastern Conference. There is absolutely no excuse for the Wizards being as horrendous as they are, and Brooks has the potential to mold this team at least into a consistent playoff contender. With Brooks, they should at least make the playoffs every year. With some solid roster movement, this team can contend in the Eastern Conference.

Which leads me to my next topic, the underachieving Bradley Beal. This guy is supposed to be offered a max contract this offseason. Why?
Beal played in just 55 games this season and his injury prone status is a large reason why this team underachieved so much. Do they really want to make the playoffs only when an injury prone guy is healthy?
Beal has played in just 247/328 regular season games in his career. The career just started and its been filled with injuries. This is the guy you want to offer the max to. The guy you want to make Wall's 2nd best option. Sure he has a pretty 3 point shot, but why risk it. Can't we go with a safer and more reliable alternative here to giving Beal 22 million?
He says he is past the injury thing, but is he really?
The dude derailed the Wizards season and they missed the playoffs in a weak Eastern Conference. That he averaged 17.4 is of no consequence, he played in just 55 games. There are a lot better ways to spend 22 million. He has a nice shot, but he isn't a great defender and rarely can create his own shot. Not to mention that he has the 39th worst turnover rate among NBA guards. The guy doesn't play and when he does, he turns it over. I just don't see why this guy deserves a max deal. If you want to bring him back, fine, but structure the deal in a way that the team still has financial flexibility. A team with two injury prone max guards will stay a fringe playoff contender. That playoff status will continue to remain on the backs and legs of two injury prone guys. Not how I want to spend my time as an NBA fan. If you give Beal the max, you deserve the broken player you get. Here is a solid article on what the Wizards should offer Beal.

Speaking of the weak Eastern Conference.....

LeBron certainly continues to dominate the pathetic conference. However, as a hater of the LeBron narrative, I thought it was worth pointing out that the Miami Heat pushed the Raptors (that gave LeBron fits in the Finals) to 7 games the series before. They did it with largely the same team LeBron had, just minus LeBron. They also did it injured. Guess they are solid help and I guess Wade did have plenty in the tank, just like I said. The biggest difference between this Heat and LeBron's Heat in my opinion is that this Heat did not include Chris Bosh either. They must have some pretty solid contributing parts. Led by a pretty fantastic guard in Dwayne Wade.....

Stay tuned next week, for more from the world of sports...

-Noland

100 Greatest Coaches of All-Time (50-41)

I have been counting down the greatest coaches of all-time in football, baseball, and basketball. So far I have looked back on some fantastic coaches, but now it is really getting good. It is the upper echelon now, the Top 50. Every coach from here on out has won multiple championships. These guys are the cream of the crop. To catch you up though, I have linked to the previous parts of the countdown.

Preview
100-91
90-81
80-71
70-61
60-51

50. Phil Woolpert

Career Coaching Record: 243-168 (.591 Winning Percentage)

Woolpert barely cracks the Top 50 at #50. Take out 3 seasons of his career and he doesn't make this list. However, those three seasons added to otherwise mediocrity add up to the Basketball Hall of Fame and inclusion on this list. For the 1954-1955 season, Woolpert led San Francisco to a 28-1 mark and an NCAA Championship. He followed that up the following year with a 29-0 mark, a perfect season, leading the San Francisco Dons to another National Title. Those two titles are the only two NCAA Championships in San Francisco history. They also were won with the greatest champion in basketball history (Bill Russell). Russell won the 11 NBA Championships and 2 NCAA Championships as a player, and also won 2 Championships as a NBA Coach (he only coached 8 years though and was not eligible for this list). When ranking Woolpert you ultimately have to decide how much credit to give Russell and if Woolpert should get credit for recruiting him. While it may have had more to do with Russell than Woolpert I still give Woolpert credit because San Francisco isn't UCLA or Kentucky. They aren't exactly basketball relevant today. He also kept San Francisco great the season after Russell left, leading them to 3rd Place in the NCAA. 3 straight Final Fours and 2 championships is a big deal for any college coach.

49. Billy Donovan

Career Coaching Record: 486-189 (.720 Winning Percentage)

If there is one Gator coach I have the utmost respect for, it is Billy Donovan. The guy can flat out coach and he runs an incredibly clean program. He has had a lot of NBA talent roll through Gainesville, and every player that has played for Donovan is better for it. Take Matt Bonner for example on the San Antonio Spurs he has played for Donovan and it was a seamless transition for him to play in San Antonio. Playing unselfish basketball lends itself to a pro system of unselfish basketball. Now, I am not saying Donovan's college system is as good as Pop's, but the Gators do a pretty good job of sharing the basketball. Donovan won those incredible back-to-back titles when he had Noah and Horford. He has reached four Final Fours also. The Gators have reached 7 Elite Eights in 18 years with Donovan in charge. More impressively, the Gators have been to the past 4 Elite Eights and look to have a stronghold on making it that far. Like Izzo, Donovan was only knocked out this past year by the eventual champion. This team has a knack for that lately. They also have a knack for crushing Cinderella's glass slipper. Donovan's Gators are the team that ended George Mason's Final Four run. That season was one of the Gators National Championship years. He may coach for my rival school, but Billy Donovan is a heck of a basketball coach.

48. Chuck Daly

Career College Coaching Record: 151-62 (.709 Winning Percentage)
Career NBA Coaching Record: 638-437 (.593 Winning Percentage)

Daly led Penn to multiple NCAA appearances and actually had a better winning percentage in college as you can see. He also was the coach of the 1992 Dream Team as you can also see. It says a lot about Daly that he was selected. However, we all remember him as the great NBA coach that he was. Daly was likely selected to coach the Dream Team because the Bad Boys had won back-to-back titles close to the time the Dream Team was selected. He was the coach of those Detroit Pistons teams that won the title in 1988-1989 and 1989-1990. They also made the NBA Finals in the year right before they won their first title. This team was sandwiched by multiple great runs. First, they competed with the 80s Lakers and Celtics and then they competed with Jordan's Bulls. These guys are credited with ending those 80s dynasties and with helping create the Bulls dynasty. Jordan has said multiple times that losing to the Pistons helped make him the player he became. It also helped him see the kind of player Rodman was and helped him recruit Rodman later in his career. The impact of Chuck Daly on so many in basketball is unbelievable. There is even a Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award given out because of Daly's impact on the game. He is very deserving of a top 50 spot.

47. Jim Morris

Career Coaching Record: 1435-632-4 (.694 Winning Percentage)

Jim Morris is one of the best baseball coaches ever period, regardless of college or pro. What he has done at the college level is incredible. He has led his teams to the postseason for 30 straight years. He first helped make Georgia Tech a nationally relevant team before moving to Miami where he has had a great deal of success. His first 11 years at Miami was one of the best runs in college baseball history. Morris made the College World Series in 9 of his first 11 seasons at Miami. Two of those seasons, he won the National Championship. He has since been to the College World Series two more times for a total of 11 trips. His Miami's teams are still quite good and the Hurricanes even won the Coastal division this past season. Morris is still making moves as Miami's coach and I would not be surprised at all if he won another title before he is done.

46. Pete Carroll

Career College Coaching Record: 83-19 (.814 Winning Percentage)
Career NFL Coaching Record: 71-57 (.555 Winning Percentage)

Pete Carroll is one of the hardest coaches to rank on this countdown. He had that amazing run at USC in the early-mid 2000s that should have him much higher on the list. However, that 2004 title was vacated and there were much more allegations of improper actions by Carroll at USC. It is more suspicious too because he bolted right before USC got hit with sanctions. Before it appeared that Carroll would never leave USC. Once he left USC, he took over the Seattle Seahawks. Those Seahawks won the most recent Super Bowl. This makes Carroll 1 of 3 coaches to win a National Title and a Super Bowl as a head coach. Adding to the difficulty ranking him, Seattle has led the league in positive PED tests. Their secondary also holds every play, but we won't go there. I don't like Carroll, i think he deliberately skirts the rules, but he does belong on this list because of his success. The only question is where?

45. Tony LaRussa

Career Coaching Record: 2728-2365 (.536 Winning Percentage)

Little known fact about Tony LaRussa, he is an FSU alum. I will not let his Seminole background influence my ranking though. LaRussa is right where he belongs at #45. If anything, I may have underranked LaRussa a little bit. 3 World Series Titles with 2 different teams is no easy task. LaRussa led the Cardinals to 2 and Oakland to one. There is no doubt that the guy can coach based on that success. With the Cardinals, the only question is how much of that success is due to the manager and how much is due to the general manager and player development? The Cardinals develop players especially pitchers as good as anybody in the business. They have had continued success after LaRussa has retired. LaRussa though took a team over the top that wasn't getting it done. He definitely deserves a good amount of credit and a top 50 spot.

44. Tom Landry

Career Coaching Record: 250-162-6 (.605 Winning Percentage)

Cowboys fans, including my mom, will think I am crazy for putting Landry this low. Look at the results though, Landry has less Super Bowl rings than Jerry Jones with the Cowboys. Landry has 2 and Jerry has 3. I know we all love to jump on Jerry for his recent decisions, but his 90s Cowboys were very successful. Landry was also successful, but Landry did not led the Cowboys to more success than they had in the 90s. They were good, they became America's team. However, Tom Landry is one of the most overrated coaches of all-time. Being overrated though, doesn't mean he sucked. Landry was an awesome coach. He is one of the greatest coaches of all-time. You absolutely cannot make a good argument though that he was the best NFL coach ever. He just was not the greatest. Incredibly good, great even, but not the best as many Cowboys fans would like you to believe.

43. Jim Calhoun

Career Coaching Record: 877-382 (.697 Winning Percentage)

Jim Calhoun is an absolutely fantastic head coach. Some would say he isn't that great, but he made UCONN into a national powerhouse. Sure, UCONN won this season without Calhoun, but he built the program. He also won 3 National Championships. Do not sleep on that fact that he has those three titles. Those titles are more than most coaches of the modern era. He has two more titles than Izzo and Boehim and more titles than Dean Smith. The guy has gotten Clifford Robinson, Ray Allen, Richard Hamilton, and Rudy Gay to play at UCONN which was unthinkable before his arrival. However, Jim Calhoun did face sanctions at UCONN over the recruitment of Nate Miles and their were several other allegations of illegal recruiting which may be why he got those players. The controversy knocks Calhoun back slightly, but there is no denying that he is a fantastic coach. Calhoun won more championships than John Thompson, Rick Pitino, Jim Boehim, and pretty much any other Big East coach in the toughest conference. He is a coaching legend.
Also, he put Northeastern basketball on the map before he got to UCONN. It is pretty unknown that he was successful at Northeastern, but he led those Huskies to 5 tournaments in his last 6 years there and set them up for much greater future success.

42. Joe Torre

Career Coaching Record: 2326-1997 (.538 Winning Percentage)

Torre is obviously best known for his success with the Yankees, but he spent 11 seasons as manager in other organizations. 5 years were spent with the Mets, 3 with the Braves, 6 with St. Louis, and his last 3 with the Dodgers. However, he did spend those 12 unforgettable years with the Yankees. We only remember the Yankee years, because that is where he won. He had winning records with the Braves and Dodgers, but he never made any memorable run with either team. The years with St. Louis and the Mets were incredibly forgettable as Torre managed to losing records in those stints.
The Yankeees though were completely different. In 12 seasons with the Yankees, Torre made 6 World Series trips. That means he went to the World Series in half of his seasons as a Yankee. Sure, he had an incredibly loaded roster each season, but 6 World Series appearances is nothing to sneeze at. The steroid allegations among his players were rough, but steroids were rampant in baseball at that time. The fact is that he won 4 World Series Championships in New York. There are not to many other coaches in any sport with 4 league championships. Torre has those 4 rings and those rings show that he belongs in the Hall of Fame and on this list.

41. Knute Rockne 

Career Coaching Record: 105-12-5 (.897 Winning Percentage)

Knute Rockne is one of the most famous figures in Notre Dame history. He may be the most famous. He won 4 National Championships coaching the Irish and had 5 undefeated seasons. The Irish also won over 100 games for Rockne in a very short coaching career for him. Had he coached longer, he had Top 10 potential. As it sits, Rockne is number 41. He probably should be higher than that even, but Notre Dame was the football program back then and everyone wanted to play for them. His job was easier than a lot of other guys on the list, but there is no discounting what he did. 5 undefeated seasons anywhere is quite incredible.

-Noland