Who's The Greatest Coach In Chicago Bulls 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.

Just about every NBA fan knows where this is going. Still, a primer on the growth of the Chicago Bulls franchise is worth having at this point.

The Bulls have been around since 1966, and in the first decade of their existence, they rose to the status of playoff contender on the backs of players like Jerry Sloan, Bob Love, and Chet Walker. The next 10 years would see a dramatic decline in their stature, and their fortunes would only start to be reversed in 1984, when a 21-year-old guard named Michael Jordan fell into their laps with the no. 3 pick in the NBA Draft.

The rest, as they say, is history. The career of Jordan, however, would not have been the same without a certain mentor by his side. As a matter of fact, the Bulls franchise has had the privilege of entrusting their fate to a good number of talented coaches all these years.

When the venerable Jerry Sloan (a future head coach of the Utah Jazz) was in the heyday of his playing career, Dick Motta was the one calling the shots for the Bulls. Under Motta’s leadership, the Bulls reached the Western Conference semifinals for five straight seasons and appeared in the conference finals in 1974 and 1975.

Though the likes of Doug Collins and Kevin Loughery tried their best to turn Jordan’s individual brilliance into team success, it was Phil Jackson who found a sustainable formula. With the help of his technically proficient assistant Tex Winter, Jackson installed the Triangle Offense in Chicago and had Jordan’s crew running it to perfection. The result: six NBA championships and the establishment of a new NBA dynasty.

Far removed from the Jordan years was a new generation of Bulls dominance spearheaded by athletic studs Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, and Luol Deng. The mastermind (or, perhaps taskmaster) behind this Bulls stampede was Tom Thibodeau, who was known for both his impeccable defensive strategies and his short rotations.

The coronation of Jackson as the greatest Bulls coach ever has long been settled. Indeed, the more important question is whether Jackson is the greatest NBA coach, period.