Who's The Greatest Coach In Brooklyn Nets History?

In this series, we’ll take a look at the illustrious list of head coaches in each NBA franchise’s history. To make a case for ‘greatest coach,’ we’ll look at win-loss record, player development, and (most importantly) team accomplishments under that coach’s tutelage.

When the New York Nets (yes, New York) entered the NBA as part of the 1976 ABA merger, they were among the crown jewels, having been the last ABA champions in history.

To this day, however, the Nets (who came to be a fixture in New Jersey and later Brooklyn) have not reached the highest of highs in the NBA. They came close on a few occasions, only to fall short against a storied NBA franchise.

Still, the Nets have had their fair share of excellent coaches throughout the years. The vestiges of the ABA’s flashy style found their echoes in exciting Nets teams mentored by highly creative tacticians.

Stan Albeck may not be a household name these days, but the history books show that he was the winningest Nets coach in the 80s (regular season and postseason combined). With a crew that included the likes of former All-Star Michael Ray Richardson and Darryl “Chocolate Thunder” Dawkins, Albeck finished with an 87-77 regular season record and went 5-9 in the playoffs.

While Albeck was coaching the Nets, Byron Scott was playing for the “Showtime” Lakers. In the early 2000s, Scott would get his turn to work wonders for the Nets, and he achieved a great deal of success in this regard. With players like Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin, and Richard Jefferson in his lineup, Scott led New Jersey to two straight Finals appearances.

Lawrence Frank took over for Scott in 2004 and helped the Nets maintain their status as a playoff contender. Frank amassed a 225-241 record in the regular season and finished 18-20 in the postseason.

Scott is the only Nets head coach in history to have tasted NBA Finals action. Having accomplished this, he gets the nod as the greatest Nets head coach ever.