[Marwan]

Their roster is better, but getting all the pieces to play as a unit, coaching a number of players with no/little NBA experience, surviving and overcoming a horrid start, having the best win % in the East since the New Year, and posting the biggest turnaround from last year gets my respect for a coach. And of course let's not kid ourselves, the Raptors roster isn't THAT amazing on paper, what they've done this year was truly unexpected and has to do, at least a little bit, with coaching.

Everyone needs talent of course, coaches are a reflection of the players, and players the coaches.. Phil Jackson wins 60+ games with the great Bulls and Laker teams, and then wins in the 40's the past couple years with the mediocre teams.. there's only so much you can do when the talent isn't there.. The personnel last year was a mess, and it showed.. any coach needs tools to play with.. not saying Mitchell is the best coach, but he's grown with the team and is worthy of an extension. Also keep in mind that Sam is a young coach, he's only a few years removed from playing.. if he does leave, it looks like he has a place in Charlotte with an up and coming team.

Scouting at the highest level of sports is going to be top-notch with most organizations, especially playoff caliber teams.. it's one thing to know your opponent's weaknesses, but it's another thing to stop it.. Brian Hill can know everything about the Pistons 1 through 12, but The Magic will still get swept or beaten in 5. Frank is a great coach and I'm sure he has a lot of defensive/offensive schemes to disrupt what the Raptors will try to do, and the Toronto coaching staff will do the same.. it's the team that can adjust the best from game-to-game that will have the upper-hand