CLEVELAND: In the pantheon of this game’s greatest players, there is one key category that separates LeBron James from many of his peers both past and present.
Coaching.
Magic had Pat Riley, Russell had Red and Tim Duncan has Pop. Michael Jordan didn’t win until Phil Jackson arrived in Chicago and the same was true with Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles.
Scroll through the list of legends and nearly all of the game’s greatest players, particularly within the last 35 years, are linked to at least one of the game’s greatest coaches. There is a logical connection.