The Warriors come out to play
- Thread starter nattysez
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This is interesting and a bit out of left field. That said, I could see how a team might begin to tune a "preacher" coach like Jackson out. One thing I am confident of is that the Warriors management is pretty forward thinking. If they believe that Jackson isn't the guy to get this team over the hump, they will move on.
That said, the Warriors are nowhere close to the elite in the West. Furthermore, while Jackson gets grief for his rotations, its unclear to me what sort of roster he really has. Andrew Bogut is showing signs of breaking down again, Lee is banged up, Curry isn't 100% and Andre Igoudala has been alarmingly fragile in the first year of his deal (the very reason that he is so effective defensively may also be contributing to his breaking down). And it was a flawed roster (thin and overly reliant on outside shooting...and note that the Warriors best bench scoring option is the one and only J-Turnover) to begin with so I am not sure if Jackson is bad a managing in-game or he simply doesn't have the horses. I'd vote the latter.
If they do move on from Jackson, I would imagine that they might bring back Malone if they can somehow get him out of Siberiacramento. IMHO, the guy is legit and while the Kings record is abysmal, he, at least, has them playing better defense this season (even with Rudy Gay).
That said, the Warriors are nowhere close to the elite in the West. Furthermore, while Jackson gets grief for his rotations, its unclear to me what sort of roster he really has. Andrew Bogut is showing signs of breaking down again, Lee is banged up, Curry isn't 100% and Andre Igoudala has been alarmingly fragile in the first year of his deal (the very reason that he is so effective defensively may also be contributing to his breaking down). And it was a flawed roster (thin and overly reliant on outside shooting...and note that the Warriors best bench scoring option is the one and only J-Turnover) to begin with so I am not sure if Jackson is bad a managing in-game or he simply doesn't have the horses. I'd vote the latter.
If they do move on from Jackson, I would imagine that they might bring back Malone if they can somehow get him out of Siberiacramento. IMHO, the guy is legit and while the Kings record is abysmal, he, at least, has them playing better defense this season (even with Rudy Gay).
Just mentioned this in the April game thread, but the rumor here in Colorado is that George Karl will be coaching the Warriors next year.
Sox and Rocks said:
It won't be Mark Jackson. Last night sealed his fate -- way too many bad home losses for a coach who claims to be a great motivator.
Karl would surprise me -- seems like too traditional a choice for an ownership that likes to make a splash.
Stephen Curry finishes the season with an even 24 ppg / 8.5 apg / .610 ts.
Only player in NBA history to reach all those marks.
The only dudes ever to reach 23-8-.600 are Magic, Jordan and LeBron, and they each only did it once.
Meanwhile, Steez Crawford and Harrison Barnes combine for 71 points in Denver to give the Ws a 51-31 record -- best record since the Run TMC 1991-92 team, and second-best since the 1975/76 team. More a sign of the franchise's ineptitude than anything else (51 wins is a down year for the Spurs), but hey, baby steps.
It's just too fvcking bad about Bogut's cracked rib, 'cos for their flaws I think this team had an outside shot at a championship with a healthy full squad. They finished the season with the 4th best point differential in the league -- ahead of both Indiana and Miami, which is fairly remarkable when you consider the much higher level of competition in the west. It's total BS that they have to face CP3, Griffin and the white-hot Clips in the first round while the scuffling Pacers get to face the garbage Hawks.
Ah well. Here's hoping for a miracle v. LA, and better late-season health next year. And ... a fairer playoff seeding system.
Only player in NBA history to reach all those marks.
The only dudes ever to reach 23-8-.600 are Magic, Jordan and LeBron, and they each only did it once.
Meanwhile, Steez Crawford and Harrison Barnes combine for 71 points in Denver to give the Ws a 51-31 record -- best record since the Run TMC 1991-92 team, and second-best since the 1975/76 team. More a sign of the franchise's ineptitude than anything else (51 wins is a down year for the Spurs), but hey, baby steps.
It's just too fvcking bad about Bogut's cracked rib, 'cos for their flaws I think this team had an outside shot at a championship with a healthy full squad. They finished the season with the 4th best point differential in the league -- ahead of both Indiana and Miami, which is fairly remarkable when you consider the much higher level of competition in the west. It's total BS that they have to face CP3, Griffin and the white-hot Clips in the first round while the scuffling Pacers get to face the garbage Hawks.
Ah well. Here's hoping for a miracle v. LA, and better late-season health next year. And ... a fairer playoff seeding system.
Pretty interesting article on coaches and religion. Main focus on Mark Jackson and Doc Rivers. Rivers comes off really well, like always.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2014/05/03/nba-clippers-warriors-doc-rivers-mark-jackson-monty-williams-religion/8658755/
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2014/05/03/nba-clippers-warriors-doc-rivers-mark-jackson-monty-williams-religion/8658755/
I hope I am wrong but this is a stupid move. The team may hire a better Xs and Os coach but unless it is someone very established, it will be negated by the players tuning the new guy out.
A report says Jackson hadn't spoken with the assistant GM in months. The Assistant GM is the owners 25 year old son btw.
They will never ever trade him. But Ainge should still call with the intent of offering anything and everything.jsinger121 said:
Jackson got his players to play for him. It's REALLY hard to make a bunch of multi-millionaires listen to a coach and believe in him, and only a few guys in the league are able to do that. That is what made Jackson special, and that is why it will be hard to replace him.
With that being said, part of being in any form of management is learning to play the game. Being a shrewd politician is almost as important as being a successful coach/executive when it comes to job securirty. Jackson was a great leader, but I don't think he fully understood what it takes to work with management.
With that being said, part of being in any form of management is learning to play the game. Being a shrewd politician is almost as important as being a successful coach/executive when it comes to job securirty. Jackson was a great leader, but I don't think he fully understood what it takes to work with management.
Not even a package of Mallett, Ranaudo and Krug plus a #1 will get it done. Curry is virtually untouchable.
Could the players have achieved a 51-win season in spite of the dysfunctional basketball operations that Jackson led?Kliq said:
I don't know the answer but the gushing that Jax is this great leader when his coaching staff was falling apart and backstabbing each other indicates that he had lost control of that locker room.
Yes the players played hard but look at the personnel......Iguodala, always went hard.....Bogut, always professional.....Lee, Curry, Thompson.....all players who have big motors. Did these players really play hard for Jackson or did they play hard because that's the only way they know how to play, are all known as team oriented player, and are really good at NBA basketball?
Highly unlikely Curry will "want out." He's already said [paraphrasing] he understands it's a business and he can work with anyone.
Myers and co. have put together a pretty fantastic roster -- not just in terms of talent and balance but also in terms of character. I don't think Michael Scott could turn Curry / Iguodala / Thompson / Lee / Green / Bogut / Ezeli / Barnes into a bunch of unmotivated malcontents.
Myers and co. have put together a pretty fantastic roster -- not just in terms of talent and balance but also in terms of character. I don't think Michael Scott could turn Curry / Iguodala / Thompson / Lee / Green / Bogut / Ezeli / Barnes into a bunch of unmotivated malcontents.
It's all tea leaf reading, but I tend to agree with HRB's sentiments. There's no doubt that the Warriors played hard for Jackson and there's no doubt he's not a genius with the x and os. That's okay....hire an assistant you trust to do the x and o stuff and the coach -- as with Phil Jackson/Doc, etc -- is more the manager who mediates the messages that have to go in different directions. The problem with M. Jackson is that an assistant who felt compelled to tape things (and was immediately hired by Ainge after getting fired) and another with whom he didn't communicate doesn't speak well for Jackson as that sort of mediating force. I'm sure there were some f'd up things and it may have been anyone's fault, but whoever was originally at fault a coach's skill has to be in getting everyone on the same page.
I say that with an admitted bias against Jackson as I found him to be blithering volcano of cliches on ESPN delivered in the most self-righteous tones. And the Warriors front office has a really good record in building talent, so I also give them a bit more of the benefit of the doubt. Even without those biases, though, if a coach can't get everyone on the same page he has to go (or he has to win a lot more than Jackson did given the talent he had on board.
I say that with an admitted bias against Jackson as I found him to be blithering volcano of cliches on ESPN delivered in the most self-righteous tones. And the Warriors front office has a really good record in building talent, so I also give them a bit more of the benefit of the doubt. Even without those biases, though, if a coach can't get everyone on the same page he has to go (or he has to win a lot more than Jackson did given the talent he had on board.
I hated him as a player after maybe a season or so (I am a Knicks fan) with his fat-ass backdown move in the post, I violently hated him as an announcer, and I am glad to see him fired even though he seemed to do an OK job (although GS has quite a bit of talent, especially after adding Iguodala this season).
Now I hope he never ever works again in any NBA-related capacity, especially as an announcer. Go be a fulltime preacher so I never have to hear or see you again. Bye bye.
Now I hope he never ever works again in any NBA-related capacity, especially as an announcer. Go be a fulltime preacher so I never have to hear or see you again. Bye bye.
HomeRunBaker said:
You bring up a good point, but there are instances that the Warriors have shown that they have a special commitment to their coach. On Sunday, one of the color guys told a story about how the whole team showed up at Jackson's church to support him, and it brought him to tears. They did that kind of stuff all the time for Jackson. Also, you bring up all the players on the team that played hard, but let the record show that Jackson got the most out of Jermaine O'Neal when he was beyond washed up and had flamed out in Boston.
I think it's more likely that he joins the studio crew before this round is over.jon abbey said:
Kliq said:
Clarification to that story. Jackson spent roughly two hours on the Sunday before Game 2 against LAC delivering sermons instead of studying tape and preparing his team.
The Warriors lost Game 2 by 40 points.
http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20140420/golden-states-mark-jackson-keeping-the-faith-through-uncertainty
I also shed now tears for his firing because Jackson is an asshole of the highest grade. Some of his highlights include:
Jackson stabbing HOF John Stockton in the back by imploding the Jazz lockerroom when he was a player there:
http://jazzbasketball.wordpress.com/2014/01/09/jazz-mythbusters-mark-jackson-vs-john-stocktons/
Proclaiming himself to be a Christian while cheating on his wife of 20 years with a stripper:
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/new-york-hoops-legend-mark-jackson-extorted-stripper-naked-photos-feds-article-1.1104142
Statman said:
You don't like Mark Jackson, fine. But really? This post is silly. Do you know for a fact that Jackson didn't adequately prepare for the Clippers by studying and watching film? Do you know if Doc Rivers did more studying before the series and around the games? The answer is no, you do not. Please don't pretend otherwise. The series went to seven games and was won by the team that was at full strength. This thread is still on page two of this forum if Andrew Bogut is healthy.
Then you cite some Jazz-biased blog which suggests that Jackson led a coup and ultimately led to a then 40-year old John Stockton quitting basketball. However neither Stockton nor the teammates point him out explicitly as a culprit. The blog fails to note that Jazz at the time were a roster laden with well-past-their-prime stars and players that could best be described as mediocre. No team like that is going to have perfect harmony. Revisionist history or biased accounts aren't factual.
As to your final link, if you dislike religious folks who are hypocrites in word and deed, you are going to be awfully lonely. And that is before you take into account the lifestyle of the men who play and work in professional sports.
Its entirely fine for anyone to dislike Mark Jackson for his team affiliation, style of play/coaching and the way he conducted himself. I didn't love all the things he did either and I am record in this very forum questioning the wisdom of his hiring. That said, none of the things cited in this post or the ones in this thread justify calling him a bad coach. He was, on balance, a good coach imho.
He wasn't perfect and he clearly had issues working with others in the organization. But as someone who has watched more Warrior basketball than anyone in this thread not named SamRayNot, I can tell you that he will be hard to replace for the Warriors. The Bay Area, for all its charms, isn't a magnet for free-agent talent and its rarely a destination for big-name coaches. Who will take this job when the Lakers job is open? And as bad as the Knicks situation is, I can see where a coach just might opt for that stage vs. Golden State's relatively small market. And before you invoke Dolan, understand that Joe Lacob will now raise some alarm bells for some prospective coaches too. What if OKC opens up? I love Steph Curry and a lot of the Warriors but what about the chance to work with KD and Westbrook?
Finally, I will reserve judgement because its always foolish to react to events in real time. However I remain concerned because the Warriors had a guy with whom they had finally found success and had the team playing at a high level (and very efficiently on the defensive end I might add). They may well find an even better coach but if they are going to bring in a retread like Hollins or one of the Van Gundys, I have a hard time seeing how this team won't take a big step back.
I agree a big part of being a good NBA coach is simply motivating players and getting them to play hard. "It's about Jimmy's and Joe's, not X's and O's" I didn't watch a ton of the Warriors, but I'll take some of the Warrior experts in here at their word and assume Jackson did a good job in that aspect of the job.
Predicting how things will be with the next coach, especially before that person is even hired, is certainly a challenge. The Warriors seem to have a solid group of starters, so I doubt motivation will be a major issue with a new coach, but only time will tell. If forced to guess I'd say a big step back in this area is possible, but unlikely.
As to the remainder of the job of NBA coach (however much you weight you want to give it), I'm pretty sure the Warriors will only stay the same or improve. Like others, I'm biased by Jackson's constant inane blithering when he was an announcer, but I was vey unimpressed with his in game strategy as an NBA coach.
Overall, assuming they don't make an awful hire, I expect them to be no worse off, and possibly better.
Predicting how things will be with the next coach, especially before that person is even hired, is certainly a challenge. The Warriors seem to have a solid group of starters, so I doubt motivation will be a major issue with a new coach, but only time will tell. If forced to guess I'd say a big step back in this area is possible, but unlikely.
As to the remainder of the job of NBA coach (however much you weight you want to give it), I'm pretty sure the Warriors will only stay the same or improve. Like others, I'm biased by Jackson's constant inane blithering when he was an announcer, but I was vey unimpressed with his in game strategy as an NBA coach.
Overall, assuming they don't make an awful hire, I expect them to be no worse off, and possibly better.
DeJesus Built My Hotrod said:
I freely admit that I have no clue whether the two hours Jackson spent delivering a sermon and reading passages from Colossians, but based on past quotes from Jackson himself, he doesn't really place a high value on practice and preparation. Would those two hours have made a difference? Who knows, but I would venture a guess that those hours could have been better spent than inside a church, preaching to a congregation the day before a critical Game 2.
[twitter]https://twitter.com/kevinmdraper/status/458717230599905280[/twitter]
Actually, Greg Ostertag who was a teammate of both players explicitly stated in a radio interview (link in my previous post) that Jackson would "stir the pot" in the Jazz lockerroom. Seeing as how Stockton was the starter and Jackson the backup PG, I can easily imagine what the pot stirring entailed.
I don't put much value in Jackson's so-called coaching "success." In his first year as a coach, the Warriors were filled with scrubs such as Kwame Brown, Nate Robinson, Ekpe Udoh, Brandon Rush, Dorrell Wright, Jeremy Tyler, and Dominic McGuire. The best player on that team was Monta Ellis who is the epitome of a good stats on a bad team type of guy.
Once they dumped Ellis and those bums and started acquiring players like Andrew Bogut, Harrison Barnes, Carl Landry, Draymond Green, and Iggy their record no doubt improved markedly.
Statman said:
I freely admit that I have no clue whether the two hours Jackson spent delivering a sermon and reading passages from Colossians, but based on past quotes from Jackson himself, he doesn't really place a high value on practice and preparation. Would those two hours have made a difference? Who knows, but I would venture a guess that those hours could have been better spent than inside a church, preaching to a congregation the day before a critical Game 2.
[twitter]https://twitter.com/kevinmdraper/status/458717230599905280[/twitter]
Actually, Greg Ostertag who was a teammate of both players explicitly stated in a radio interview (link in my previous post) that Jackson would "stir the pot" in the Jazz lockerroom. Seeing as how Stockton was the starter and Jackson the backup PG, I can easily imagine what the pot stirring entailed.
I don't put much value in Jackson's so-called coaching "success." In his first year as a coach, the Warriors were filled with scrubs such as Kwame Brown, Nate Robinson, Ekpe Udoh, Brandon Rush, Dorrell Wright, Jeremy Tyler, and Dominic McGuire. The best player on that team was Monta Ellis who is the epitome of a good stats on a bad team type of guy.
Once they dumped Ellis and those bums and started acquiring players like Andrew Bogut, Harrison Barnes, Carl Landry, Draymond Green, and Iggy their record no doubt improved markedly.
Re: the anecdote you posted, its on a Jazz fan blog. Do you know much about Ostertag's relationship with Jackson? Or Stockton? Or anyone else for that matter? I am sure what he said could have happened but as you know, there are two sides to every story. You dislike Jackson so you choose to believe one side. I will reserve judgement.
Regarding the other thing you posted, I am not sure what that is supposed to convince us of. You do know the Warriors play the Clippers four times a year in the regular season and that their schemes are largely the same no matter when they play, right? I am still not certain what Jackson's quote says about his team's preparedness to play this post-season. They went to seven games with the full-strength Clippers without their starting center and one of the best rim defenders in the game.
Finally, if you are going to examine rosters, why don't we look at data too. In '10-11, under Keith Smart, the Warriors defensive rating was 110.7. In '11-12, under Jackson and with largely the same roster, they improved to 109.1. The following season, with a revamped roster they put up a 105.5 defensive rating. However its worth noting that it was Jackson (and Mike Malone) who identified what rotations to use and this included using a then putrid offensive rookie player by the name of Draymond Green. Green likely wouldn't have played as much under many other coaches in similar situations. This season they improved to 102.6.
I have no doubt that Jackson benefitted from having guys like Bogut, Klay Thompson, Green and, this season Iguodala (I don't know why you cite Harrison Barnes when most people familiar with his game cite him as a disappointment and he is certainly not considered anything other than an adequate defender at this point). However their usage and success as an elite defensive team, especially remarkable with the heavy minutes of weaker defenders like Steph Curry and David Lee, is direct result of Jackson's emphasis on defense.
Again, you don't like him and that is fine. He was annoying as an announcer or you don't buy him as a devout guy or he pissed off Greg fucking Ostertag or challenged a washed-up John Stockton. You are entirely justified to dislike him for those reasons. But that doesn't mean he was or is a bad coach. Show me where the team underperformed given the talent on the Warriors roster?
Are we going to just not give Mark Jackson credit for helping develop Steph Curry into a superstar? I live in the Bay Area and while I'm not a Warriors fan, I follow enough to see the level of trust Mark Jackson put into Curry and the confidence it inspired in Curry.
Steph loves Mark Jackson - there must be some real ego clashes between Mark Jackson and the front office for them to fire a coach with a team that performs upto/sometimes exceeding expectations and who has successfully groomed a superstar who loves him.
Steph loves Mark Jackson - there must be some real ego clashes between Mark Jackson and the front office for them to fire a coach with a team that performs upto/sometimes exceeding expectations and who has successfully groomed a superstar who loves him.
C'mon, man. This is like saying that Aaron Hernandez had a few problems with a few guys. Media following the Warriors have reported that he had not one ally in the front office. That's not something that happens to a good coach. That's what happens to a guy who can coach who is a total shitshow. The situation he created was such a tire fire that the Celtics were more than happy to pick up Erman after hearing his side of the story with regards to taping conversations. The stories he must have told had to be wacky to make that such a non-issue because Danny and company don't mess around.DeJesus Built My Hotrod said:
Mark Jackson got fired because Mark Jackson was scared that Mark Jackson was gonna get fired. Mark Jackson.
He gave several interviews on the topic and his take was that in order for a team to succeed, the whole coaching staff has to be on the same page - you can't have assistant coaches undermining your message or freelancing. Those points make sense to me. Sure maybe Mark Jackson is a terrible coach who doesn't deserve such gravitas but we've heard similar about Bill Belichick and his assistant coaches. Like it or not, the head coach of an NBA team has to be able to run his staff - if he wants to hire and fire assistant coaches, that should be well within his purview. Like I said, maybe Jackson was giving bad instructions or terrible Xs and Os which assistants felt they needed to override. But the results don't seem like he's a trainwreck.Blacken said:
Blacken said:
You are comparing this to Aaron Hernandez? Really?
I will grant you (as Chuck did during the TNT panel's analysis) that Jackson clearly did a poor job managing around and up. That said, he had the most important part -the locker-room - right and he got results. I defy anyone to tell me the Warriors underperformed this season. They were a flawed team and he had some work to do on offense.
A couple of points of clarification - if we find out that the front office offered him a chance to come back IF he agreed to add some stronger assistants then I have to give them the benefit of the doubt. Also, you cite the Erman situation but it really had nothing to do with Jackson that I've read. The GM fired Erman and the complaints came from other coaches and players. Not Jackson. Again, its his guy so he wears the blame but it wasn't Jackson firing Erman or anything like that.
Seeing as how I find people's reactions towards Aaron Hernandez comparisons (along with the feigned outrage at the guy himself, but that's another hread entirely) endlessly funny...yes. Yes I am.
Anyway, most of the news reports cite Erman's concerns with Jackson and other coaches insulting him behind his back as a major reason behind taping conversations. What kind of mindfuckingly bad boss do you have to be to make your people that paranoid? (And given how quickly Erman got another job, with an organization that both knows Erman and is fairly well-known for not putting up with bullshit, there's a thumb on the "It's Not Him" side of the scale.) Seriously, go read Zach Lowe on Mark Jackson's crazy-ass managerial failures and tell me any healthy team wants that guy around if even half of it's true.
As for underperforming, pretty much everybody I read had them closer to 60 wins than 50 before the season. "Nobody expected we would be here" came up a bunch, and Jackson was right--everybody expected them to be the third seed! And a lot of that can be directed at Jackson's inability to install an offense. Mark Jackson is a good motivational speaker, and that is definitely part of NBA coaching. But so is actual coaching and his shortcomings there are largely hidden by having an escape valve as great as Steph Curry. They were literally nonfunctional when Curry wasn't doing things.
I mean, Mark Jackson thought David Lee post-ups were a good idea. Just chew on that for a bit.
Anyway, most of the news reports cite Erman's concerns with Jackson and other coaches insulting him behind his back as a major reason behind taping conversations. What kind of mindfuckingly bad boss do you have to be to make your people that paranoid? (And given how quickly Erman got another job, with an organization that both knows Erman and is fairly well-known for not putting up with bullshit, there's a thumb on the "It's Not Him" side of the scale.) Seriously, go read Zach Lowe on Mark Jackson's crazy-ass managerial failures and tell me any healthy team wants that guy around if even half of it's true.
As for underperforming, pretty much everybody I read had them closer to 60 wins than 50 before the season. "Nobody expected we would be here" came up a bunch, and Jackson was right--everybody expected them to be the third seed! And a lot of that can be directed at Jackson's inability to install an offense. Mark Jackson is a good motivational speaker, and that is definitely part of NBA coaching. But so is actual coaching and his shortcomings there are largely hidden by having an escape valve as great as Steph Curry. They were literally nonfunctional when Curry wasn't doing things.
I mean, Mark Jackson thought David Lee post-ups were a good idea. Just chew on that for a bit.
FWIW, Bovada (Vegas) had their win total over/under before the season of 51.5: http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2013/10/28/5037930/vegas-odds-nba-over-unders-2013-14
CBS sports had projected win totals of 54, 54, 52, 52: http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/24117589/win-totals-vs-over/under-odds-for-the-2013-2014-nba-season
ESPN had 50-32: http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/9560974/2013-summer-forecast-west-standings
I can't really find anything with close to 60 wins.
I have no dog in this fight but I would really fight the notion that Mark Jackson's results on the court were an underperformance
CBS sports had projected win totals of 54, 54, 52, 52: http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/24117589/win-totals-vs-over/under-odds-for-the-2013-2014-nba-season
ESPN had 50-32: http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/9560974/2013-summer-forecast-west-standings
I can't really find anything with close to 60 wins.
I have no dog in this fight but I would really fight the notion that Mark Jackson's results on the court were an underperformance
Again, no one hates Mark Jackson more than me, but you can't make the argument GSW underachieved, either last year or this year (they were obviously dreadful his first season). To me this makes it even better: he is so much of an asshole that he got fired despite his team not underachieving.
DeJesus Built My Hotrod said:
I do have to say. Looking at the kind of players he had, 51 wins doesn't seem too much to me.
Also, you should be so lucky to get Stan Van Gundy. Right now, even Dwight Howard might be missing him.
triniSox said:
Precisely the point. He couldn't run his staff or interact with the front office -- demanding Jerry West not attend practices? -- and those are essential. It isn't black and white and I can totally see that the Warriors performed well for Jackson and that's the biggest part of the job. But it isn't the whole job and with a team as talented as this (a shoe-in for a finalist if in the East) but in an incredibly tough conference, if you think you need another guy to take a next step then it's ballsy of the Warriors to do this and probably the right thing.
Zach Lowe has a new piece up with summarizes the pros/cons well: http://grantland.com/the-triangle/mark-jackson-fired-golden-state-warriors/
The Lowe post is pretty damning. There had been a lot of noise out here before the firing that Jackson and Jerry West weren't getting along at all and that West never thought Jackson a good hire. Phil Jackson kept West out of practices too, but he's, well, Phil Jackson. Rumors that West was going to leave at end of season. If you had to choose one, who would you take? For me, it's West in a landslide. I don't think it's a coincidence that GSW started to stockpile real talent about when he came aboard. I wouldn't be surprised if a crappy coach could get 40+ wins from that roster - it's versatile and skilled.
Give credit to Jackson on player development, sure, but you have to ding him for Harrison Barnes - huge step back. Can't stand Mark Jackson and think he's a blowhard who likes to hear his own voice, but obviously the players did like him though. Aside from the West issue, perhaps the FO thought it better to sell a year early rather than a year too late.
Give credit to Jackson on player development, sure, but you have to ding him for Harrison Barnes - huge step back. Can't stand Mark Jackson and think he's a blowhard who likes to hear his own voice, but obviously the players did like him though. Aside from the West issue, perhaps the FO thought it better to sell a year early rather than a year too late.
ESPN reporting Dubs got Kerr for 5 / $25.
As a fan, I'm pretty pleased!
And Jackson had to go (a week late on that debate). Team lost too many winnable games, simply and he was too arrogant to get help.
As a fan, I'm pretty pleased!
And Jackson had to go (a week late on that debate). Team lost too many winnable games, simply and he was too arrogant to get help.
Tangled Up In Red said:
I think this is a better fit for the Warriors than Van Gundy. Kerr knows what he is getting himself into here whereas it seems as if Van Gundy was just looking to be in control like Jackson but with a mandate. Kerr has the street cred as a former NBA player, a champion, an executive and an NBA lifer. Plus he has strong ties to the area and the organization.
Given the Lowe piece and other articles that have come out, its clear Jackson had to go but not for the reason Sage references above. Jackson's squad did, indeed, lose winnable games. However they took the Clippers to game seven despite losing their best defensive player. Instead, he had to go because he wouldn't work within the organization. Its a shame because with some strong strategic assistants, he has the potential to be a very good NBA coach.
Now it remains to be seen what sort of scheme Kerr runs, whom he hires to coach with him and, most importantly, what the Warriors do with their roster. I think a move involving Lee and/or Harrison Barnes will be explored as it should. My concerns there are that as bad as Lee is defensively, he is a very good offensive player. As for Barnes, people became very frustrated with his lack of development this season but the fact is, he is just a second year player and the league's ranks of elite and star players is filled with guys who had poor sophomore campaigns.
