Golden State Warriors Coach Mark Jackson On KNBR: Reviving Andris Biedrins, Ekpe Udoh's Coachability
by Nate Parham on Dec 2, 2011 2:03 PM PST
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Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson talked with The Razor and Mr. T on KNBR yesterday about free agency and the upcoming season and Sports Radio Interviews has a brief overview of the main points covered in the interview that was just over 20 minutes long (if you haven't listened to it already).
Most of the interview was pretty much similar to what we've already heard or might expect. And with the Warriors looking to be "very aggressive" in free agency to add depth and size in the frontcourt, he shared his thoughts on two frontcourt players currently on the roster: Andris Biedrins and Ekpe Udoh.
Jackson on Andris Biedrins
Andris Biedrins has been a subject of discussion all summer in connection with the amnesty clause due to the combination of an expensive contract and a subpar 2010-11 campaign. However, Marcus Thompson II reported on Wednesday that the Latvian big man is "a distant second" in the Warriors' thinking about who they might use that clause on, if they use it at all.
With it becoming more and more likely that Biedrins will be on the roster this season despite some fans' preference to the contrary, Jackson talked briefly about how he might approach trying to bring the best out of Biedrins.
He's a guy where I feel he had a dominant stretch being a dominant big man: rebounding the ball, altering shots, and also finishing at the rim. The main thing you gotta do is let him know, 'Hey - it doesn't matter what took place last year. I really can care less - I know what you're capable of doing and you're going to have an opportunity to go out and get the job done.' And I believe he's more than capable of getting the job done. So I believe it's going to be up to him to come in here and rekindle the flame and get back to where he once was.
Jackson on Ekpe Udoh
One player that appears to need no help with finding a flame is Ekpe Udoh, who always seems to be going hard. Jackson also spoke briefly about the second-year player's coachability and what he sees him bringing to the team.
He seems very coachable - actually had a chance to talk with him during the NBA Finals when I was in Dallas and very impressive young man. I think he can do some things on the basketball floor that he was not asked to do in the past. I think he's a guy that can knock down the mid-range jump shot. Love his energy on the floor. So he's going to have an opportunity to play minutes for us and I like his passion, commitment and how hard he works on the court.
In addition to all the other things on this roster that the new coaching staff will have to manage, the development of players like Udoh and Jeremy Tyler in the frontcourt will be interesting to watch.
For the entire interview, check out the SRI summary.
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What's interesting to consider?
That’s all standard stuff to me.
Andris was such a huge asset before with great production that it’s hard to just say, “Ah, forget it!” Other teams would like to gamble on him. His contract was very reasonable back when he was at his best, so if he gets back even close to that, that would be huge for us. Not holding my breath, though.
I'm the soul brotha' like no other!
My question for Warriors fans - what will make you happy?
We blow up team in the hopes we get some big superstar down the road and drat the next Kevin Durant an make a title run
or
we keep Curry and keep tinkering around him and be a playoff contender in the 6-8 spot for the next 7-10 years
I think I prefer option 2.
What might another option be?
Blow it up
I don’t trust this front office to tinker. This is the same front office that thinks Biedrins can still be good after failing to hit a foul shot for two years.
If you're watching a blowout, you can pass the time by counting the double teapots.
Samurai Champloo > Macross
really?
You don’t trust them to tinker (requiring minor moves here and there)
but you do trust them to SOMEHOW get a big time superstar here? the second scenario seems a lot more difficult.
by Togna Balogna on Dec 2, 2011 3:59 PM PST up reply actions
that's actually a valid criticism
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I never said that
I would like nothing more than a front office shakeup. The day an actual superstar comes here (Nene is not a superstar BTW) while this front office is still here is the day pigs fly.
However, the draft is unpredictable, and we could luck into a superstar. Blow it up. It gives a better chance of contending than the front office “tinkering.”
If you're watching a blowout, you can pass the time by counting the double teapots.
Samurai Champloo > Macross
funny to hear this!
I thought we just had a front office shake up. Our new owners, our asst, GM, our executive vp guy, Jerry West – all are respected and most see them as the reason people are saying a rebirth of Warrior basketball is on the horizon. Is this just about Lameduck Riley? He has made a mix of good and bad moves – like most GMs but he is not seen as a bad GM.
What front office people could entice a super star to the Bay?
Superstars want to play with other superstars and be in places like LA or NY. The GM seems pretty far down the list on why a guy picks to play on a team.
by Togna Balogna on Dec 2, 2011 5:22 PM PST up reply actions
I don't think Riley is a good GM
and, to me, the “shakeup” was superficial. I doubt Jerry West has that big of an influence. Lacob has too much influence (they should have traded Beans to the Rockets). This feels like the Warriors front office from a few years ago – stand pat and do nothing, but pretend to do something by working your name into all the trade rumors.
If you're watching a blowout, you can pass the time by counting the double teapots.
Samurai Champloo > Macross
Rereading this
I think I may have been too negative. But the Mark Jackson hire just really killed me, you know. I mean, seriously? Mark Jackson? Ever since then I’ve felt really negative about the Warriors.
If you're watching a blowout, you can pass the time by counting the double teapots.
Samurai Champloo > Macross
No coaching experience
I don’t care if he was a PG, you don’t just become a head coach. He hasn’t coached college or even high school. Coaching basketball is not that easy – it’s a lot of hard work. That’s why a lot of players think they want to be coaches, but then decide not to once they realize how much work it entails. Mark Jackson has not been a coach at any level, and I just don’t think he is ready for everything that comes with being a head coach in the NBA.
If you're watching a blowout, you can pass the time by counting the double teapots.
Samurai Champloo > Macross
by doubleteapot on Dec 3, 2011 12:00 AM PST up reply actions
Doc Rivers and Larry Bird both had no coaching experience and won Coach of the Year award within their first 2 seasons. Bird won 50+ games in 2 of his 3 seasons as head coach. We all know what Doc has gone on to do.
People throw out Doug Collins’ name, but his circumstances were a bit different. Was in and out of coaching, starting as an assistant before taking over the Bulls in the 1980s. Returned to the booth, and came back to coaching a second time.
Popovich was never more than an a college assistant before he took over the Spurs. Look at how great he’s done, even in his first season.
So now that we’ve covered that experience isn’t a prerequisite to success, why else don’t you think he can be successful?
http://nbawarriors.wordpress.com/
What?
Popovich was an assistant coach in the NBA. He even worked under Don Nelson for a while. Larry Bird, meanwhile, had a stacked roster (Reggie, Mullin, Rik Smits), plus Rick Carlisle and Dick Harter as assistant coaches. (Malone is comparable to Dick Harter, but there is little defensive talent on this roster.). For Doc Rivers, I’ll give you that he managed to get that Magic team to overachieve, but one season of overachieving does not suddenly make experience unnecessary in this league. Note that he got run out of Orlando later because he wasn’t able to stop their historic losing streak (with T-Mac on the roster). I think he learned from this experience when he went to coach the Celtics (he is also helped by the fact that he has three HOFs on the roster).
Bottom line, experience is necessary to succeed in this league. You can’t just cherry pick situations. If you want to cherry pick situations, then I could just as well mention Vinny Del Negro or Isiah Thomas, another PG who immediately became head coach. The vast majority of consistently winning coaches have had previous experience. At most, Mark Jackson (since he is a good speaker, I’ll give him that) will be able to motivate the team to come out to a hot start, but without good playcalling this team will fail in the long haul. Maybe Mark Jackson is an exception, but I doubt it. You usually don’t succeed in your first try as an NBA head coach if you have no prior experience. Mark Jackson doesn’t even have front-office experience! At least Larry Bird had that when he became coach. Experience as a player is different as experience as a person working in an NBA organization (as coach, GM, whatever).
If you're watching a blowout, you can pass the time by counting the double teapots.
Samurai Champloo > Macross
some good points, however...
The odds were stacked against Harbaugh as well. He was a college coach and a former player – two background which rarely translate. Plus, coaching football seems much harder than basketball. I think Jackson will lean on his staff alot which will help alleviate his learning curve a bit. I also think he has been around the game for so long that stuff like front office experience wouldn’t matter much.
I agree that I am a skeptic as well, but Harbaugh’s off the charts performance gives me hope. Not expecting Jackson to be off the charts, but if he is able to get this team to .500 in his first season with this talent I would label it a success. My hunch is that he’ll have a chance to really build something in a way that other coaches have not had the chance to.
Lots of rookie coaches have success in this league – some had asst. coaching experience. At the same time, many rookie head coaches with asst. coaching experience are struggling. SO much of it is simply who your talent is and how lucky you are that season with injuries and such.
by Togna Balogna on Dec 3, 2011 8:48 AM PST up reply actions
Yes, I definitely want the Warriors to do well
But I am very skeptical about what Mark Jackson can do. But I suppose in the end it does come down to the players.
If you're watching a blowout, you can pass the time by counting the double teapots.
Samurai Champloo > Macross
by doubleteapot on Dec 3, 2011 10:42 AM PST up reply actions
You're forgetting he is a pupil of Jeff Van Gundy.
In his return to New York, even in a short time, they became very close very quickly. He’s also traveled around with him each of the last 4 years, further building that relationship, and I’m sure talking a lot of basketball with him. It’s important to also note that he’s been gearing up for a head coaching job for a while, and has access to all the best minds in the business from where he’s at.
Jackson has also played for Pat Riley in multiple stops in his NBA career, and has always been known as a guy who’s tried to be a part of the game plan, rather than simply executed it. Not the quickest, or most athletic point guard out there, he’s someone who succeeded because he played defense and was smart offensively. A guy who studied and new the other team. That was NOT Isiah Thomas.
Going further, he played for Larry Bird, who we mentioned, as well as Larry Brown. This might be one of the best pedigrees of coaches played for of any player in the NBA. I think, having been around so many different good coaches, it’s bound to have rubbed off on the guy, knowing his reputation as a player. You hear the term player’s coach a lot, but Mark Jackson was a coach’s player.
He doesn’t have any direct coaching experience, no, but he does have a resume, that’s at least comparable even to a lot of assistant coaches, who’s only real head coaching experience is from WATCHING. The two jobs are very different, so no coaching experience doesn’t really bother me because being assistant is no indication at all you’d be a good head coach.
http://nbawarriors.wordpress.com/
But if you want more reasons:
here’s one: he decided to spend several years in broadcasting (a cushy job not requiring a lot of thinking) instead of working as an assistant coach or something. That doesn’t scream “NBA head coach” to me.
If you're watching a blowout, you can pass the time by counting the double teapots.
Samurai Champloo > Macross
by doubleteapot on Dec 3, 2011 12:20 PM PST up reply actions
He's been pursuing a head coaching job since he took that broadcasting job...
Maybe he didn’t want to be an assistant, and the broadcasting job pays better. It also lead to the connections he has now to get a relatively big coaching contract with us. He got 4 years to watch and talk to everybody about the games, the teams, the player. I would have to extent of his knowledge of people around the league is very vast.
http://nbawarriors.wordpress.com/
Also I'm worried about this quote
Jackson called coaches and coaching staffs that are said to be in the office before sunrise and out of the office after the sun goes down are guilty of "false hustle."
I completely understand the whole “not wanting to overwork the players” part of his argument, but accusing other coaches of “false hustle”? I’m not sure he has a grasp of what coaching entails. Sometimes you do need to work long hours and watch large amounts of film.
If you're watching a blowout, you can pass the time by counting the double teapots.
Samurai Champloo > Macross
by doubleteapot on Dec 3, 2011 12:36 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
haha
yeah and drawing up plays is for slackers. this all feels a little too Singletary for me..
by itsAteamGAME on Dec 3, 2011 11:22 PM PST up reply actions
It's an interesting quote...
I couldn’t begin to guess where he was going with it, but no where in there does he say he’s not going to work hard, and no coach would openly admit to that, or purposefully give the appearance of that. Knowing that is something people might take out of that, I feel comfortable saying I’m not worried about how hard he’s going to work.
http://nbawarriors.wordpress.com/
I actually agreed with what he said.
I’m tired of all these coaches saying they can’t sleep at night because they’re watching Charlie Bell’s defensive slides.
Ron Paul 2012
by GovernorStephCurry on Dec 4, 2011 4:26 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
"We could luck into a superstar"
Yeah like how we luck onto Todd Fuller instead of Kobe Bryant.
Every year we luck into 'the gift of a sup-a-sta'
Gotta love the Cohan era… marketing opponents star plays.
so smalltime
Keep Curry
Everyone else is expendable.
If you're watching a blowout, you can pass the time by counting the double teapots.
Samurai Champloo > Macross
Keeping the rookies are okay too
I’m fine with Udoh, Klay, etc. They are cheap and have upside.
If you're watching a blowout, you can pass the time by counting the double teapots.
Samurai Champloo > Macross
So when I found out the lockout was over, I got all excited. Then I looked at the front page of this site, remembered the situation the Warriors are in, and got sad. Sigh.
by Missing Barry on Dec 2, 2011 8:57 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
welcome back
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"Also, Evanz’ posts are easiest to hide while working. The chats and graphs can look like actual work related data to the lazy walker-by’s eye" (tafkasam)
hi Sleepy
can u drop some contact on ymydy4@gmail.com
-i’d be honored to add u on facebook or ask some question in private once in 1/2 year
Even if you do succeed most people wouldn't notice anyway.
by Lat We N Trash on Dec 3, 2011 3:27 PM PST up reply actions
asdf
i can’t really say now -do i miss NBA games
-i mean -this long offseason been blessing 4 me
-it’s really tough task -watch meaningles NBA games @ night and be good father worker citisen @ daytime -@ the end u re not sure when u re really living
what i do miss is this 07/08 Dubs season
- im tired to believe in empty promisses but what else i can do -i m trapped
dmn me
Even if you do succeed most people wouldn't notice anyway.
by Lat We N Trash on Dec 3, 2011 3:25 PM PST up reply actions
no more dumb contracts
Let’s see what Tyler and Udoh can do down low!
" Sleepy Floyd is Superman!!!"
by CoachBarry on Dec 2, 2011 11:59 PM PST via iPhone app reply actions
Tyler are years away. Udoh is work in progress
And Biedrins should be ran out of town. Talk about a classic sign the big contract and losing it. I mean he can’t even make a free throw! That’s embarrassing.
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