Who’s the best basketball mind?

[oldgoldy97]

Driving home on ice covered roads made me start thinking about the best basketball mind of all time. I’d have to say Jerry West. Great player, great team builder. Might know the game better than anyone.

[sotexcollector]

I put Coach Pop into the mix. One of basketball's greatest mind ever to teach the game.

[asujbl]

LeBron James

You heard me

[sebreg]

Pat Riley is another one. Current players, guys like Lebron and Rondo imo.

[lietuvalabas]

Pat Riley is another one. Current players, guys like Lebron and Rondo imo.

definitely agree here.

[GeechQuest]

LeBron James

You heard me

This is actually a good answer I wouldn’t have thought of.

[discodanman45]

My vote goes to Larry Bird. 3 x's consecutive MVP, coach of the year, and executive of the year. Being a Pacers fan, Larry Bird was an amazing coach.

[asujbl]

This is actually a good answer I wouldn’t have thought of.

People can’t go Star Wars with him

It’s still valid

[ThoseBackPages]

probably was Kobe

[sebreg]

Forgot about CP3, but he's gotta be up there too.

[sebreg]

My vote goes to Larry Bird. 3 x's consecutive MVP, coach of the year, and executive of the year. Being a Pacers fan, Larry Bird was an amazing coach.

Oh yeah, Bird is a bit of a basketball genius.

[griffan15]

Tex Winter

[JustRachel]

John Wooden comes to mind.

[drobfan8]

I think Jokic is up there for current players.

Rodman for past players.

LeBron is up there, but he also said Ben Mclemore was gonna be a star and Shabazz Napier was gonna be a great PG. He also said he's won 2 of the hardest titles of all time. LOL. Ok mate. So I don't think he's some brilliant basketball mind. I doubt he even ends up a coach.

Pop is up there but he can be stubborn and stuck in his ways.

Steve Nash.....

Don Nelson

[Frontstraw907]

John Stockton

[JohnnyHatesJazz]

larry bird, red auerbach, phil jackson, greg popovich.

[Dame]

Tex Winter

for sure, Phil gets the credit for the most part but it has always been Tex behind the most successful offense that helped won 9 titles. a basketball genius and one of the purest.

[dengbang]

As far as point guards go, I'd say Steve Nash. I remember back in 95, I said this guy won't ever make it in the league. Look like he panned out just fine.

[lietuvalabas]

John Stockton

agree with this so very much. and also TBP saying Kobe, he was like the ultimate student of the game relentless with his approach, dude was scary smart too, and can speak several languages (not basketball necessary, but speaks to how cerebral he was)...lol at people saying lebron over kobe.

[bmf]

probably was Kobe

100%, crazy high basketball IQ

[49ersSF]

Jerry West

[tjforce]

Driving home on ice covered roads made me start thinking about the best basketball mind of all time. I’d have to say Jerry West. Great player, great team builder. Might know the game better than anyone.

So many things you could mean by 'best basketball mind'.

On the court in the heat of the moment?
From the front office building a team?

Much different things.

On the court, yes, guys like LeBron, Magic, Stockton have to be up there. All of those guys knew how to manipulate the court and control the game.

Michael, Bird, and Kobe had it from a different angle... the angle of competitiveness it takes to win.

Then guys like West, Pop, when it comes to game plans and X's and O's, organizational strategy, etc.

And finally, nobody could control basketball egos as well as Phil did.

[siebertb]

Hubie Brown is able to put basketball into words better than most

[sebreg]

Hubie Brown is able to put basketball into words better than most

Love Hubie

[hawkfandan]

Pat Riley

[Uncbuddha]

Dean Smith

[RogerGodahell]

Larry Bird, he knew he was the best and would let you know there was nothing you could do to stop him.

[PokeyAndG]

Yinka Dare.

[JustRachel]

Gonna give a shout out to the fairer sex and throw Pat Summit out there. She probably isn't the "greatest basketball mind of all time", but she definitely deserves an honorable mention.

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[Jeff1970Red]

Kobe breaking down players games in Detail is special, but as far as on court I’d have to go with Jordan.

[BostonNut]

Red had people thinking ghosts were going to get them at the Garden and that the parquet had magical spots in it.../ thread.

[hauntedcomputer]

On-court genius is a rare gift--players who manipulate the entire game like Cousy, Oscar, Russell, Kareem, Moses, Magic, MJ, Lebron, Kobe, at times KD and Curry and Harden and even Kyrie (as much as I dislike some these).

Coach/management genius is entirely different. Red, Phil, Larry Brown, Pop, lots of college coaches who got to do both while also enjoying longevity. Very few like West and Bird could do both.

Will be interesting to see how players in the player-power era show their genius. I doubt Lebron would make a great coach, maybe not even a good one, but he can be influential in building rosters--hard to say whether he's actually good at that, though, since the results are mixed. It will be fun to see where some of these past and current greats shake out in the front offices. Agents may become even more influential than GMs. Some of the best coaches were lousy players.

[sebreg]

Yeah, Tex Winter is a good one. I'm not knowledgable enough on the intricacies of his work, but I have to imagine helping engineer triangle offense for Bulls back to back three-peats is pretty huge.

IDing talent, x/o's, playing and seeing the game to its greatest depths, front office executive success, etc; lot of different aspects to bball genius for sure. I think Pat Riley has to be up there since he has succeeded at pretty much every level of the game (player, coach, front office executive). Jerry West right there too, just lacking the coaching aspect :)

I can't imagine Lebron being a great coach, even if he is a bball genius I'm not sure he'd have the patience for managing players. For the most part, it seems that the top-tier level players rarely make for great coaches (for whatever reason). Lebron may try to become an owner, I think that intrigues him more, more power with that position while also staying connected to the game.

Loved Kobe's work on Detail. Gave me a new appreciation for his intelligence and knowledge.

[6celtics33]

Bird has the most versatile accomplishments as a player and afterward

Some names not mentioned:

Pete Newell, Bobby Knight, and Henry Iba were great teachers of the game

[rifleman69]

Uncle Dennis.

[gomiamigo]

Dean Smith
West
Bird
Riley
Morey