In conclusion
All of the reasons discussed is why he is still a top coach in the league and should be mentioned in the same conversation as Gregg Popovich and Rick Carlisle. There are still many people who don’t view Spoelstra in the same way as the majority of people.
One of the counter arguments they try to make is the fact he obviously won when he had James and look at what he has done post-LeBron. Both arguments are stupid takes.
First of all, coaches do not play the game. They do not step on the court and have the ball in their hands. It is obvious that they need stars. Phil Jackson, Red, and Popovich are widely known as one of the top coaches in all of basketball. And who did they have? Oh, yes all-time legends. The coaches job is to do the rotations, fit all the pieces, and more.
As for the other argument. It isn’t like the Miami Heat were in the right place when James left. Not trying to make excuses but here is what exactly happened post-LeBron:
- Wade had injury problems
- Bosh had blood clots that resulted in season and a career-ending injury
- Multiple trades
- Many new players coming in
- Players leaving
- Most of the players were late-round picks or aging
And despite all that, Spoelstra still managed to have an almost a 50 percent record. It isn’t a coaches job to get talent and make trades. A coach will work with what he gets and I can surely say that Eric Spoelstra worked to his best ability with the players he had.