Now we have talked all-time best, bench players, and trades. Today we are talking about coaches of these two awesome franchises. Now both teams over the many years have had a lot of coaches so there is a lot to consider when it comes to comparing coaches. You have to consider who was on their roster at the time, how tough the other teams were in the league at the time and the time when they were coaching. So I narrowed it down to top two coaches for each team on this article.
So for the Pistons these are the top two in my opinion (no particular order).
1. Chuck Daly
- Years: 1983–1992
- Record: 467–271 (regular season), 71–42 playoffs
- Why he’s top: Led the “Bad Boys” era to back-to-back championships (1989, 1990) and 3 straight Finals
Key players:
- Isiah Thomas
- Joe Dumars
- Dennis Rodman
- Bill Laimbeer
2. Larry Brown
- Years: 2003–2005
- Record: 108–56 (regular season), 31–17 playoffs
- Why he’s top: Won the 2004 NBA Championship and made 2 Finals
Key players:
- Chauncey Billups
- Ben Wallace
- Richard Hamilton
- Rasheed Wallace
Now here is the Timberwolves top two coaches in my opinion (no particular order).
1. Flip Saunders
- Years: 1995–2005, 2014–2015
- Record: 411–326 (first stint), 427–392 overall
- Why he’s top: Franchise’s winningest coach, led team to 8 straight playoffs and 2004 Western Conference Finals
Key players:
- Kevin Garnett
- Sam Cassell
- Latrell Sprewell
2. Chris Finch
- Years: 2021–present
- Record: 244–183 (and growing), 21–21 playoffs
- Why he’s top: Modern era success, multiple playoff runs, Western Conference Finals appearance
Key players:
- Anthony Edwards
- Karl-Anthony Towns
- Rudy Gobert
Now coaching I take very seriously as a coach myself because if you have leadership up top to hold the players accountable and push them to where they need to be, then the success will be there.
There’s no denying the championships of the Pistons and their coaches out-coaching the opposing team’s coaches. But, the Timberwolves to coaching a rebuild and young groups through the years and have success is an accomplishment on its own.
I respect any basketball coaches out there because there’s so much talent out there and still trying to have that team first mentality is tough, but overall, the legends Chuck Daly and Larry Brown overpower Flip Saunders and Chris Finch between stats, championships and overall experience.
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