Top 5 NBA coaches of 2012-13

1. Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs

Gregg Popovich

Coach Pop knows whom to trade for and when. Never will you see him overpaying for a player nor will you see him unnecessarily shooing away a draftee to the D-Leagues. Every move Pop makes is well justified.

Danny Green and Gary Neal were unheralded a year ago. Four weeks ago, they nearly won San Antonio the NBA championship, almost singlehandedly. That is the magic of Gregg Popovich. He moulds in talents to fit into the right positions. Also, Popovich can ceaselessly outwit his opponent by rotating his bench and starting lineup, often employing tactics unseen before.

In 2012-13, not many pundits predicted the Spurs to reach the NBA Finals with an ageing core of players. But they did, thanks to Popovich’s ingenuity. He rested his players when he had to, sometimes even rebuking the vitality of regular season games. When teams were fielding quicker players, Coach Pop’s tactics resorted to shooting from the perimeter, holding possession longer than usual and frustrating the opponents.

Kawhi Leonard is another reason why Pop deserves his mantle as the best coach of 2012-13. Not only was the youngster molded in such a way to average double digits in the points column, but he quite easily matched up to the likes of Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant in defence.

The rest of the NBA has a long way to go to displace Gregg Popovich form his mantle of being the best in the business. At least not till anyone can better his player management skills and on-court intelligence.