If your really want to talk about who is the best "coach" I would say Gregg Popovich.
Ok hear me out before you totally slam this post.
What is one thing the Jackson and Red both had? Each one of the teams they coached had the best player in the league at that time. Jordan, Russel, and Kobe just might be the three best players ever to play the game.
Now only the best coaches could have lead those teams to as many championships. But I would argue that with the talent on those teams a very good coach would have been able to lead them to at least 3 apiece and thats being conservative.
At the end of the day it was the players that mattered on those teams. Russel went on to coach and play for the C's leading them to a few more rings without Red. Jordan took some time off and the bulls didn't even make the finals even though the had a lot of talent. Even Kobe and Jackson couldn't do anything till Gasol came.
Now thats the evidence for why I think that Red and Jackson who are some of the best " Team Mangers" are not the best "coaches"
Now here is why I think Greg Popovich is the best "coach" we have ever seen (I'm not talking about all time).
Pop has four rings which isn't even half of what Jackson and Red have. But if you look at who was playing on those teams when Pop won you start to wonder how did he win those rings.
Ok the first ring he had a stacked team and maybe even the second one, but for the last two rings there is no denying that the talent on the team was not the best in the league at the time.
For as good as Tim Duncan was he was past his prime for the last two rings, and Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are sometimes allstars but it would be a stretch to call ether of them a "Number 2" by himself. But the fact remains that the Spurs keep wining no matter who plays on that team. Think about it they lead the West this year for almost the whole year. Yes they left in the first round but who even expected them to be there in first place.
What I'm getting at is the Spurs success can be tracked to one man and that is Pop. The Spurs are Pops team,You'd never see a Denis Rodman or Ron Artest on Pops teams because he wouldn't let someone like that in his locker room. His players all respect him and play his way not their way.Pops team would never take cheap shots like the Lakers did and if one guy did Pop would have thrown him out before the you could blink and not sit in his chair with the a "I can't wait to get out of here look" like Jackson.
The guy knows how to win and he doesn't need the best player in the world to do it. the Spurs are Pop's team just like the Lakers are Kobe's and the Bulls were Jordan's and the Celtics were Russel's.
Ok guys go ahead and chew this up as much as you want but just ask yourself this " Would Phil Jackson or Red be able to win 4 rings with the Spurs?"
Food for thought
Capt.O