Jackson is coach for all years

DENVER -- Happily, Red Auerbach, after whom the NBA would name the trophy it gives its coach of the year, did actually win the award . . .

Once.

That’s once in four seasons after they began giving the award . . . while his Boston Celtics won four titles . . . to go with their five in the previous six seasons.

It could be argued that coaching wasn’t even the best thing Auerbach did. He was a genius at personnel, building the Celtics tradition with stars other teams could have had first (Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, John Havlicek, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, et al.)

Of course, Red was executive of the year only once too.

If that doesn’t say something about awards as opposed to the real world, try this:

After winning four titles in his first seven seasons with the Lakers, Pat Riley was finally named coach of the year in his ninth in 1990 . . . the day after the Phoenix Suns stunned his heavily favored team in the Forum, tying their second-round series, 1-1.

Said Riley, still in shock from the previous night’s loss, at the news conference to announce his award: “Now we’ll see if I can coach.”

The Suns then eliminated them in five games with Riley’s players in revolt following his Game 3 explosion, even losing ultra-loyalist Magic Johnson, worn down by trying to serve as Riley’s liaison to the other players.

Said Johnson afterward, “It wasn’t any two ways about it. It was one way. He had to go.”

Knowing it was over, Jerry Buss then eased Riley out the door with a multi-million-dollar severance package and his Red Auerbach Trophy.

Then there’s Phil Jackson, who has won the award -- once -- to go with his nine titles.

He got that one in 1996 after his Chicago Bulls won a record 72 games in the regular season, which is when voters select the winner, which is the problem.

Even the MVP holds up better (with the exception of last season’s when Dirk Nowitzki got his after playing poorly in the Dallas Mavericks’ first-round loss to Golden State) than coach of the year.

A coach is defined by his team’s finish, which is defined by how it does in the playoffs.

The award tilts heavily toward surprise with New Orleans’ Byron Scott expected to run away with it this season after taking a 39-43 team to No. 2 in the West.

Scott deserves this award many times over . . . but it won’t look the same if Jackson, Doc Rivers, Jerry Sloan or Gregg Popovich winds up in the winner’s circle with his team.

The surest way never to win the award is to do well year in and year out like Utah’s arch-respected Sloan, who has coached an incredible 20 seasons for one team without ever being coach of the year.

Of course, Jackson is special, in many ways.

It’s fitting that he and Auerbach should win one award since Phil is only a little less hated than Red, who lit up his cigars on the bench and did his curmudgeon act with the out-of-town press.

(The great and highly impertinent George Kiseda of the Philadelphia Bulletin once said to Auerbach, by way of greeting, “Do something in character, Red.” Amused, Red made an obscene gesture to oblige him.)

Jackson doesn’t smoke cigars but does like a good joke at his colleagues’ expense, like calling San Antonio’s Popovich and his coaching staff, none of whom played in the NBA, “the simulator crew.”

Happily, there are things Jackson does even better than upset peers, Sacramento fans and a list too long to mention, which were never more in evidence than this season.

Basically, he held the Lakers’ franchise together as Kobe Bryant’s lone link with the organization after May’s days of rage.

After Bryant calmed down enough to report to camp (which remained in question until that day) and things blew up again after Buss said he “would certainly listen” to offers for Kobe, Jackson chilled everyone out again.

If there was no mistaking the tension as the Lakers opened the season, it was 1% of the crisis atmosphere that would have prevailed with any other coach.

Jackson takes everything in stride, reassuring his players, however unreal it may seem to anyone else.

He recently described the three days that Bryant missed in training camp while the Lakers fielded trade offers, saying he was surprised to see that it upset the other players.

The real question is: How in the world was he holding it together with Bryant seemingly on his way out?

Bryant was then booed in what seemed more like “Apocalypse Now” than opening night. Three days later, the Lakers upset the Suns in Phoenix and after that, it was almost like any other season.

So here Jackson is, the coach of his era, if only officially in one of its individual seasons.

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mark.heisler@latimes.com

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Well suited

Red Auerbach Trophy winners given to the NBA coach of the year since 1989-90:

*--* Year Coach Team 2006-07 Sam Mitchell Toronto 2005-06 Avery Johnson Dallas 2004-05 Mike D’Antoni Phoenix 2003-04 Hubie Brown Memphis 2002-03 Gregg Popovich San Antonio 2001-02 Rick Carlisle Detroit 2000-01 Larry Brown Philadelphia 1999-00 Doc Rivers Orlando 1998-99 Mike Dunleavy Portland 1997-98 Larry Bird Indiana 1996-97 Pat Riley Miami 1995-96 Phil Jackson Chicago 1994-95 Del Harris Lakers 1993-94 Lenny Wilkens Atlanta 1992-93 Pat Riley New York 1991-92 Don Nelson Golden State 1990-91 Don Chaney Houston 1989-90 Pat Riley Lakers *--*