http://grantland.com/the-triangle/mark-jackson-fired-golden-state-warriors/
I first interviewed Mark Jackson about 20 games into last season for a piece about Golden State’s massive improvement on defense. Jackson went out of his way to point out, unsolicited and on the record, that it would be wrong to publicly credit any single assistant coach for the team’s transformation.
It was a weird thing to say unprompted, my first window into Jackson’s personality — a strange brew of braggadocio, inspiration, and insecurity. That personality ultimately cost Jackson his job in Golden State despite a near-unprecedented run of on-court success for one of the league’s sad-sack franchises. There were some on-court issues, but Jackson and his staff did a nice job with this roster. They are gone mostly because the environment in Golden State became toxic.
As I wrote last week, Jackson demoted Brian Scalabrine, an assistant coach, to the D-League after initially firing him without cause in front of players. The team fired another assistant, Darren Erman, after learning he had been secretly recording conversations Jackson had with other coaches. Erman was concerned Jackson was bad-mouthing him behind his back, multiple sources have said, and poisoning his relationship with players. The team changed the location of Erman’s parking spot without warning, sources say. Jackson also made it known he preferred that Jerry West, a senior adviser to the Warriors, stay away from practices.
The Warriors have looked into allegations that another assistant coach beyond Erman had also been recording internal conversations, per multiple sources. The environment had just grown dysfunctional; Jackson’s “don’t mention a particular assistant” quip, a reference to Mike Malone, now the Kings’ coach, turned out to be a harbinger.
The responsibility isn’t all on Jackson. Joe Lacob, the team’s owner, is a loud and strong personality, and two such personalities mixed together can create bad results. No one should be taping conversations in California without consent. West is an intimidating presence, and Jackson isn’t the first head coach to request West keep his distance; Phil Jackson famously did the same in Los Angeles, asserting himself early as the franchise’s alpha male.
But the front office clearly became fed up with Jackson’s combativeness, and Jackson justifiably did not want to return as a potential lame duck in the last year of his contract next season. Firing Jackson is a risk, but front offices and ownership ultimately hold the power, and they have the right to take that kind of risk.
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Golden State did well under Jackson, and he was a big part of that success. The players spoke up for him and played hard. But the Warriors are wagering they are better off with a different coach, and they have legitimate grounds — for basketball reasons and off-court issues — to believe that.
Now let’s see who they hire.
