Golden State Of Mind - Golden State Warriors fire head coach Mark Jackson"UNSTOPPABLE BABY!" - Warriors rookie Marc Jackson to the Mavs' bench, after a lay-up during a 29-point loss (2000)https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50563/gsom-fav.png2014-12-11T15:59:43-08:00http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/rss/stream/54314852014-12-11T15:59:43-08:002014-12-11T15:59:43-08:00Firing Mark Jackson was NOT Racist
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<img alt="A strange much-criticized hire and a much-criticized fire." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/EsWQq35A5bG1YgXbPQLqwok3Zvw=/0x6:2788x1865/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/44323376/usa-today-5363360.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>A strange much-criticized hire and a much-criticized fire. | Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Firing 1 white coach, hiring 3 black coaches, firing 2 black coaches, and hiring 1 white coach is racist?</p> <p>Racism in the year 2014 is unfortunately an ugly and still very real part of virtually every aspect of American politics, economics, and culture. There's no doubt about that.</p>
<p>However, racism in <span>Mark Jackson's</span> firing from the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/">Golden State Warriors</a> head coach position doesn't seem like a factor.</p>
<p>It's embarrassing to admit it, but the "inspiration" for this piece comes from an irresponsible and pointless article from Ric Bucher: <a style="font-size: 12px; background-color: #ffffff;" href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2295337-nba-insider-criticism-of-mark-jackson-may-not-be-simply-a-matter-of-xs-and-os">NBA Insider: Criticism of Mark Jackson May Not Be Simply a Matter of X's and O's</a></p>
<p>(Is there some lingering bitterness by Bucher towards Warriors management for not being the local TV sideline reporter anymore? Sure seems like it.)</p>
<p><span>There was plenty of unquestionable reasons to move on from Mark Jackson:</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span><i>Questionable preparation:</i> There were countless home losses to <a href="http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2014/3/30/5565534/recap-warriors-fall-to-knicks-89-84">mediocre</a> and even awful NBA teams in Jackson's final year. Coaching and game prep is clearly an issue when you suffer an utterly <a href="http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2014/4/23/5645324/golden-state-warriors-vs-la-clippers-2014-nba-playoffs-game-2-curry">embarrassing 40 point blowout playoff loss</a> to a <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.clipsnation.com/">Clippers</a> team -- a team that mere days following this game would have to publicly deal with (ironically) a real racist owner. (I still can't believe <a href="http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2014/4/26/5657488/golden-state-warriors-vs-la-clippers-playoff-game-4-must-win-against-donald-sterling">Donald Sterling's history</a> of housing discrimination got a pass for years, but some dumb offhand comments are what got him kicked out of the NBA.) </span></li>
<li> <span><i>Questionable assistant coaching staff:</i> Warriors owner Joe Lacob is on record saying he gave Jackson a blank check to hire the best assistants. (See: </span><a href="http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2014/12/6/7345189/Golden-State-Warriors-Owner-joe-lacob-mark-jackson-coaching-staff-NBA">Joe Lacob Rips Mark Jackson, Former Coaching Staff</a>) <span>That obviously didn't happen. None of the assistants he didn't fire (apologies for the double-negative) have jobs in the NBA this season.</span> </li>
<li> <i style="font-size: 11.80555534362793px; line-height: 9px;">Questionable work ethic:</i><span> Jackson was on record saying he wasn't about pulling the <a href="http://www.ibabuzz.com/warriors/2014/08/07/brian-scalabrine-mark-jacksons-staff-didnt-prepare-warriors-championship-caliber-push-stephen-curry-defense/">long workdays and nights</a> that are the norm of the NBA coaching scene. Imagine a Warriors player saying they don't believe in working as hard as the average NBA player. Well, I'm imagining the consequence being a ton of press critiques and thinly veiled shots directed towards "lazy, rich black athletes." (Very bizarre double-standard by the media. Maybe it's the intersection of youth-race-class that causes the constant attacks on mostly black athletes? Definitely something for us to explore another time.)</span>
</li>
<li>
<i>Questionable dedication</i>: How do you become the head coach of the Warriors and not even live in the Bay Area? (Housing prices are my evidence. People want to live here. It's not a bad place to live.) Seems like someone isn't fully committed to their job.</li>
<li><span><i>Questionable public stances:</i> Putting aside morality, being openly anti-gay with an openly gay executive at your company in the Bay Area is just plain stupid, in my opinion.</span></li>
<li>
<span><i>Questionable personal issues: </i> Just read <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Warriors-Mark-Jackson-has-2-strikes-against-him-3690814.php">this piece about </a>Jackson's </span>shall we say, perplexing personal life, that ran on SFGate.com two years ago.</li>
</ul>
<p>That's not to entirely dismiss the very valid reasons for keeping him. Jackson connected deeply with several of the players and coached the Warriors to back-to-back playoff appearances. Given all the franchise struggles and dysfunction over the Chris Cohan era of WE GOT SUCK, that's like winning back-to-back championships.</p>
<p>But if you're one of the few folks who still believe Jackson's firing exhibited racism by Lacob and the rest of the Warriors executive team please ask yourself these questions:</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Why was one of their first moves firing Hall of Famer Don Nelson and promoting <span>Keith Smart</span>? </span></li>
<li><span>After firing Keith Smart why did they take a gamble and hire an entirely unproven NBA coach with zero coaching experience at any level in Mark Jackson?</span></li>
<li><span>After hiring Steve Kerr why did the Warriors go out and hire the most expensive assistant coach they could find in <span>Alvin Gentry</span>? (By the way, Gentry would have been a fantastic head coach hire this past offseason for the Warriors. It will surprise no one if he gets hired as a head coach next season.) </span></li>
</ul>
<div>Why? Because Lacob and crew believed those were the best decisions to make for the franchise, not because they wanted to fire 1 white coach, hire 3 black coaches, fire 2 black coaches, and hire 1 white coach.</div>
<p> </p>
<p>Racism is real. Racism in the NBA is real. (<span>Shoot I still to this day believe the NBA's Dress Code in 2005 </span>exhibited<span> extreme </span>ignorance and cultural insensitivity.) <span>But racism </span><span>in Mark Jackson's dismissal as Warriors head coach? It's curious to call that a factor.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><i>* I sincerely apologize to my golden folks and longtime readers. The Warriors are a truly unstoppable baby 18-2! My goal was to write about that today, but I got distracted. Next time...</i></p>
https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2014/12/11/7378787/racism-not-a-factor-in-golden-state-warriors-firing-mark-jacksonAtma Brother ONE2014-12-06T12:06:34-08:002014-12-06T12:06:34-08:00Joe Lacob Rips Mark Jackson, Former Coaching Staff
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<img alt="Golden State Warriors Co-Owner Joe Lacob " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tp6JPqF87S_-tqFnRyd9j_GF1s8=/0x58:3363x2300/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/44287082/usa-today-7886196.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Golden State Warriors Co-Owner Joe Lacob | Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Joe Lacob dishes out his critical opinion on the former Warriors coaching staff.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Golden State Warriors</a> are off to the best start in franchise history. Steph Curry is an early season front runner for the MVP, and the Dubs are currently riding their longest winning streak since.. well ever.</p>
<p>As the national media gawks over the impact that Steve Kerr has made to the Warriors, owner Joe Lacob continues to publicly offer his criticism of former head coach <span>Mark Jackson</span> and his staff. To be fair, it is his team, and he can say what he pleases, but one has to ask, why now?</p>
<p>As reported by <a target="_blank" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/author/kelly-dwyer/">Kelly Dwyer</a> at <a target="_blank" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/">Ball Don't Lie</a>, Warriors Owner Joe Lacob offered his opinions on Jackson and his staff at a luncheon in front of the Western Association of Venutre Capitalists/National Venture Capital Association. You can read Dwyer's full article <a target="_blank" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/warriors-co-owner-joe-lacob-destroys-mark-jackson-and-his-former-staff-during-a-speech-012350662.html">here</a>.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.insidebayarea.com/warriors/ci_27078013/warriors-co-owner-lacob-lists-reasons-firing-mark">Inside The Bay Area's Diamond Leung</a> first reported the transcript of Lacob's comments:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"Right now, (Kerr) looks great," Lacob said at the Western Association of Venture Capitalists/National Venture Capital Association luncheon Wednesday. "I think he will be great. And he did the one big thing that I wanted more than anything else from Mark Jackson he just wouldn't do, in all honesty, which is hire the very best.<br>"Carte blanche. Take my wallet. Do whatever it is to get the best assistants there are in the world. Period. End of story. Don't want to hear it. And (Jackson's) answer . . . was, 'Well, I have the best staff.' No you don't. And so with Steve, very, very different."</p>
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<p>[...]</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"You can't have a staff underneath you that isn't that good," Lacob said. "And if you're going to get better, you've got to have really good assistants. You've got to have people that can be there to replace you. We all know this from all of our companies. It's . . . Management 101. A lot of people on the outside couldn't understand it when we (fired Jackson)."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>[...]</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"Part of it was that he couldn't get along with anybody else in the organization," Lacob said. "And look, he did a great job, and I'll always compliment him in many respects, but you can't have 200 people in the organization not like you."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>One has to wonder when the Warriors will move on from the Mark Jackson saga. As an owner, Joe Lacob has always offered his honest opinion, which from a fan's perspective, has to be admired. But why discuss the skeleton in the closet now?</p>
https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2014/12/6/7345189/Golden-State-Warriors-Owner-joe-lacob-mark-jackson-coaching-staff-NBAAndrewFlohr2014-08-08T08:00:08-07:002014-08-08T08:00:08-07:00Scattered thoughts on Kerr and Scalabrine comments
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<figcaption>Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Steve Kerr talked about starting Harrison Barnes over Andre Iguodala. Brian Scalabrine continued his public flogging of Mark Jackson and management. I have words on this. </p> <p>We are in the midst of the most boring time in basketball world. The <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachLowe_NBA/status/496979069066821632" target="_blank">Zach Lowes</a> of the sporting world are taking a long vacation, ready to take a bit of a reprieve from this warped universe after the long, drawn-out <span>LeBron James</span> saga. Since I am not creative enough to write fan fiction, smart enough to do cutesy historical pieces, or have the time to constantly update with little <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/">Golden State Warriors</a> nuggets, I'm compiling two of the biggest news things coming out from the Warriors in the past week.</p>
<p>Let's start with Steve Kerr:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p><span>Andre Iguodala</span> "probably" starts as Steve Kerr also mentions <span>Harrison Barnes</span> and <span>Draymond Green</span> as options.</p>
— Diamond Leung (@diamond83) <a href="https://twitter.com/diamond83/statuses/497435919461273600">August 7, 2014</a>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>Steve Kerr did say Warriors will most likely have the same starting lineup, just once again didn't sound sure yet about Andre Iguodala.</p>
— Diamond Leung (@diamond83) <a href="https://twitter.com/diamond83/statuses/497433944069906432">August 7, 2014</a>
</blockquote>
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<p>We've been through this before. Kerr mentioned this about a month ago and it blew up on Twitter for about one entire hour before dying down. Evan, Ivan, and I mentioned it on the<a href="http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/podcasts" target="_blank"> podcast</a> - do people like it, should we have another one? But anyway, here we are again, pulling our hair out trying to figure out why Kerr keeps insisting that Harrison Barnes is a perfectly acceptable replacement in the starting lineup for the First Team All-NBA defender.</p>
<p>There are two reasons:</p>
<p>1. Barnes needs the confidence after the way <span>Mark Jackson</span> handled his minutes and position placement.</p>
<p>2. Barnes is the budding star he showed glimpses of against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.poundingtherock.com/">San Antonio Spurs</a> two years ago and he's ready to show it playing with the starters.</p>
<p>Here are the counterpoints:</p>
<p>1. I have never heard so much about someone's mental makeup lending itself as a crutch for bad play more than in Barnes' predicament. We have no idea whether he has mental issues or not with coming off the bench - except that he did say Jackson's substitutions were wearing on him once - but many want to ascribe this as the end-all be-all solution to his flaws. As if the intangible perception of "confidence" will suddenly prescribe him a controlled dribble, vision and a consistent aggression to the basket. Barnes might be awesome this year, as a slasher, dunker, defender, and all those things he's athletically capable of doing, but pidgeon-holeing the potential success to the notion that he's happier about things does him, and us as fans, a disservice.</p>
<p>2. Perhaps. We've gone through this many times. Much of Barnes' success in that series came on isos that <span>Gregg Popovich</span> essentially allowed so he could shut down <span>Stephen Curry</span> and <span>Klay Thompson</span>. The dunks in his rookie season were memorable, though sparing. There's the prevailing notion that Kerr's offense will open up seams for him. Without a stretch four on the roster, unless you're counting Barnes and Draymond Green as super-small functioning ones, there's no tangible evidence that what he lacked last year will suddenly pop up because spacing.</p>
<p>----</p>
<p>Now for Scalabrine's comments, I'm going to blockquote several and riff off of those. He also talked to the media on multiple occasions so this isn't the first time he's going off on someone - since his termination as assistant coach of the Golden State Warriors.</p>
<p>Full interview on The Doug Gottlieb Show, transcripted by Diamond Leung of Bay Area News Group <a href="http://www.ibabuzz.com/warriors/2014/08/07/brian-scalabrine-mark-jacksons-staff-didnt-prepare-warriors-championship-caliber-push-stephen-curry-defense/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
<p> </p>
<blockquote>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25.200000762939453px; background-color: #ffffff;">"I respected him as a head coach going into that, but after a while, it was just like us not doing what I would feel like our job is. It was just kind of frustrating."</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25.200000762939453px; background-color: #ffffff;">Scalabrine offered examples of how he disagreed with Jackson on how to challenge players "to be great," including All-Star guard Stephen Curry, who Scalabrine said wasn’t given the opportunity at times to do more on defense to the player’s detriment because of Jackson.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25.200000762939453px; background-color: #ffffff;">"Taking the easy way out, right?" Scalabrine said. "Like putting (Curry) on not the best player, and that wasn’t his decision. That’s not Steph Curry’s responsibility. Steph wanted to guard <span>Chris Paul</span>. He wanted to guard <span>Tony Parker</span>. I can guarantee you. Everyone that knows Steph Curry knows that he’s like an elite competitor.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25.200000762939453px; background-color: #ffffff;">"But as a staff, Coach Jackson made that decision in saying, ‘Hey, I’m not going to challenge this guy. I’m not going to push this guy to be better on both ends of the floor. I want to save him for the offensive end.’ Look, I think Steph Curry if he was challenged day in and day out to defend, if you want to win a championship, you have to be able to defend your position."</p>
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<p>I don't broach the subject much, or at all, but the Klay Thompson-always-on-point-guards thing was always a little odd. Not from a strategic standpoint but from a coach-and-player aspect. Curry is a strong Mark Jackson supporter but Scalabrine made it clear that Curry was not backing down from the best point guards in the world. Curry is the type of player, and person, that will ever bring this up before or after Jackson's tenure. Apparently, it was Jackson that repeatedly went out of his way in placing Thompson on them on a permanent basis. There's a little irony to the fact that Jackson claimed that this was a way to save Curry for the offensive end, when it was mostly his flaws in the offensive schemes that showered Curry with the most offensive responsibility.</p>
<p>And to blow this completely out of proportion, it appears the name value of guarding someone like Chris Paul in a postseason series elevated Thompson's defensive status, marking him as a "lockdown defender" of sorts, and allowing the likes of Kerr and Jerry West to overvalue his actual tools relative to <span>Kevin Love</span>, leading to the nixed deal. Mark Jackson, ladies and gentleman.</p>
<p> </p>
<blockquote>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25.200000762939453px; background-color: #ffffff;">On offense, Scalabrine said Golden State could have been "better organized" and was ultimately "an average offensive team with all that talent."</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25.200000762939453px; background-color: #ffffff;">"Harrison Barnes should have been like an elite player in the NBA, taking the next step after his rookie year," Scalabrine said. "It’s just like unfortunate that he didn’t get a chance to do it."</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25.200000762939453px; background-color: #ffffff;">Scalabrine also said that even though he felt Klay Thompson was an elite player, he would have traded the guard in a deal for Minnesota forward Kevin Love, who is reportedly heading to Cleveland instead.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25.200000762939453px; background-color: #ffffff;">"My only knock on Kevin Love is I just think he’s never played with a great shot-blocking center, and <span>Andrew Bogut</span> is a great shot-blocking center," Scalabrine said. "I’m not saying I’m right. Everyone has their own opinion. I personally would have made the move and then tried to convince a <span>Mike Miller</span> or a <span>Ray Allen</span> or some kind of shooting guard, try to trade for <span>Kyle Korver</span>, try to replace that shooting from Klay Thompson.</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 25.200000762939453px; background-color: #ffffff;">"Put Kevin Love with a shot-blocking center, a lot of his defensive errors are just based on size and athletic ability. Personally, I would have done it because I think Kevin Love really is a game-changer when he has a guy like Steph Curry with him or a guy that can create shots for him."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>There's some <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/fantasy-basketball">fantasy basketball</a> stuff in here. The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.peachtreehoops.com/">Atlanta Hawks</a> aren't going to trade Kyle Korver, on an excellent deal and a perfect fit on that roster and team. But what Scalabrine gets at is context. The context of what Kevin Love provides and ostensibly doesn't are two different things. Most see Love as a horrible defender but he played with <span>Nikola Pekovic</span> and a revolving door of doors in his career at Minnesota. He's not an above-average defender, but he isn't <span>David Lee</span>, either. An elite defensive center can make the David Lees of the world look decent for spans of a season. That's just on defense. Love's offensive game is worth another couple thousands words.</p>
<p>As for the Barnes thing, well, we'll just let that one slide, Scals.</p>
<p>Perhaps the most interesting twist to this verbal saga between Scalabrine and himself is the fact that Warriors ownership evidently offered him a chance to interview for a spot on <a href="http://www.ibabuzz.com/warriors/2014/08/05/brian-scalabrine-warriors-ownership-offered-chance-interview-job-steve-kerrs-hiring/" target="_blank">Kerr's staff</a>. He might have changed Kerr's curious stance on this whole Klay Thompson, or he might not. Scalabrine as a player was more humor - necessary in an increasingly serious sporting world - than player. But Scalabrine as a coach and strategist has shown an open mind and willingness to adapt.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
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https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2014/8/8/5981795/scattered-thoughts-on-steve-kerr-and-brian-scalabrine-commentsaliu272014-08-08T03:08:07-07:002014-08-08T03:08:07-07:00Brian Scalabrine: Mark Jackson’s staff didn’t prepare Warriors to be championship-caliber, push Stephen Curry on defense<h3 class="link-title"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.ibabuzz.com/warriors/2014/08/07/brian-scalabrine-mark-jacksons-staff-didnt-prepare-warriors-championship-caliber-push-stephen-curry-defense/">Brian Scalabrine: Mark Jackson’s staff didn’t prepare Warriors to be championship-caliber, push Stephen Curry on&nbsp;defense</a></h3>
<div class="description"><p><p>Great article written by Diamond Leung. Scalabrine sheds some light on the mishappenings during Mark Jacksons tenure. A lot of the things we (GSOMers) thought were wrong with Jacksons coaching style seemed to hold some weight. </p>
<p></p>
<br /><p>Brian Scalabrine:
<br />"Generally, as a staff we really didn’t prepare our team to be championship-caliber nor did we prepare our team to eventually be championship-caliber. </p></p>
<p><p>"I respected him as a head coach going into that, but after a while, it was just like us not doing what I would feel like our job is. It was just kind of frustrating."</p></p>
<p><p>"Taking the easy way out, right?" Scalabrine said. "Like putting (Curry) on not the best player, and that wasn’t his decision. That’s not Steph Curry’s responsibility. Steph wanted to guard Chris Paul. He wanted to guard Tony Parker. I can guarantee you. Everyone that knows Steph Curry knows that he’s like an elite competitor.</p></p>
<p><p>"But as a staff, Coach Jackson made that decision in saying, ‘Hey, I’m not going to challenge this guy. I’m not going to push this guy to be better on both ends of the floor. I want to save him for the offensive end.’ Look, I think Steph Curry if he was challenged day in and day out to defend, if you want to win a championship, you have to be able to defend your position."</p></p></div>
https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2014/8/8/5982071/brian-scalabrine-mark-jackson-s-staff-didn-t-prepare-warriors-to-berichstyle2014-08-04T14:58:24-07:002014-08-04T14:58:24-07:00EXCLUSIVE: "I'm coming home" - Brian Scalabrine<h3 class="link-title"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.csnne.com/page/exclusive-im-coming-home-brian-scalabrine-0">EXCLUSIVE: "I'm coming home" - Brian&nbsp;Scalabrine</a></h3>
<div class="description"><p><p>"I took my talents to Golden State searching for their championship and I really believed we could do something magical if we came together. But then I was sent down to the D-League where we flew to Hidalgo, TX on commercial flights with no first class sitting next to a 7’2" center named Ognjen Kuzmic. There was nothing magical happening down there, no matter how much we came together."</p></p></div>
https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2014/8/4/5968917/exclusive-im-coming-home-brian-scalabrineBelly Bumper2014-06-17T07:00:06-07:002014-06-17T07:00:06-07:00GSOM Roundtable: On Steve Kerr, NBA Draft
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<figcaption>Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Where Ronaldinho, Nate Parham, Sam Sorkin, Ivan Bettger, and I discuss various Golden State Warriors topics. </p> <p dir="ltr"><b>1) How much would the hiring of someone like David Blatt, an accomplished offensive superstar coach, matter to a rookie head coach in Steve Kerr?</b></p>
<p dir="ltr"> </p>
<p dir="ltr"><b><i>Ronaldinho:</i></b></p>
<p dir="ltr">It's really hard to say. Maybe Kerr already has a very strong grasp of NBA offenses. Maybe there's somebody else they're interviewing who has a similar type of knowledge, who isn't a "superstar" but brings a lot to the table. Or maybe it's vital.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I'm not worried so much about any big names the team picks up. I'm confident that we'll hire the guys Steve needs to help him win. What's important to me is that we have a staff that works well together, so that we get the most out of all the coaches we have.</p>
<p dir="ltr"> </p>
<p dir="ltr"><b><i>Ivan (</i></b><a href="https://twitter.com/ivanbe" target="_blank">@ivanbe</a><b><i>):</i></b></p>
<p dir="ltr">Conventional wisdom says yes, young inexperienced rookie coaches need accomplished, seasoned, scheme-savvy assistants telling them how to move their pieces about the board.</p>
<p dir="ltr">You look at the NBA coaching landscape, though, and you start to wonder - is CW wrong, as it so often is? <span>Jeff Hornacek</span>, with only a couple full time years as assistant (under the coaching genius Tyron Corbin) coached the hell out of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/">Suns</a> in his first year, without a superstar assistant under him. Mike Malone, also a rookie coach, admittedly was billed under Mark Jackson as a top-notch assistant, but he himself didn't get any coaching rockstars to help out in his first year. (Unless you count "Big Nasty" <span>Corliss Williamson</span>! And I would like to, if it allows me to say "‘Big Nasty' Corliss Williamson!" all the time.) <span>Brian Shaw</span>, <span>Brad Stevens</span>, and <span>Brett Brown</span> were all essentially left to their own devices, as were <span>Jacque Vaughn</span> and <span>Steve Clifford</span> the year prior. <span>Jason Kidd</span> was staffed with the seasoned <span>Lawrence Frank</span> in his first year - and had to fire him for subordination. And Mark Jackson got his savvy assistant in Malone, who fairly promptly bolted to his own head coaching gig.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Ultimately, it seems like plenty of inexperienced rookie coaches have fared well without a notable mastermind on their staffs. You might say "sure, but better with than without, right?" Maybe, just maybe. As long as the guy isn't Lawrence Frank, apparently.</p>
<p> </p>
<p dir="ltr"><i><b>Nate P (</b></i><a href="https://twitter.com/NateP_SBN" target="_blank">@NateP_SBN</a><i><b>): </b></i></p>
<p dir="ltr">Extending Ivan's point, I think that one thing we as fans underestimate is that the soft skills of coaching - communication and the ability to get buy in to a single vision - matters a lot more at the pro level than at other levels. Assuming you're provided with talent, if you have that ability to connect with people and persuade them to play within a role that maximizes their skills it goes a long way.</p>
<p dir="ltr">So the big question for me is exactly that: from the little I know about Jackson and Kerr as an outsider, they're very different personalities and I just wonder how quickly this new staff can get buy-in to a new vision. Might someone experienced with the ins and outs of conceiving, implementing, and executing a plan over 82 games - and troubleshooting whatever bumps in the road they encounter - help Kerr in that process of getting players to buy into a new vision? I think so, but it's really hard to know given the examples that Ivan discussed. To that point though, I'd probably add that some of our biggest gripes with Jackson as a coach - lacking creativity - are things that can come with experience as you deal with different situations and learn different approaches to solving problems. I'd love Kerr to have that voice on his bench, but as of right now I'm going to be patient and see how this plays out.</p>
<p dir="ltr"> </p>
<p dir="ltr"><b><i>Andy Liu: (</i></b><a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/AndyKHLiu">@AndyKHLiu</a><b>): </b></p>
<p dir="ltr">No idea and anybody that gives you a concrete answer is either lying to you or someone that's coached or have been privy to what's gone on behind the scenes on an NBA coaching staff. That being said, it does appear that Joe Lacob and Bob Myers has taken to heart the criticism with the Steve Kerr hire - namely, the lack of experience. If they do hire <span>Ron Adams</span>, <span>Chip Engelland</span>, <span>Alvin Gentry</span>, and David Blatt, or just a couple of the four, that's about as All-Star as a coaching staff can get. We just have no idea if this matters or not. Or just hiring four of anyone, doubling the number of coaches from last season (joking, maybe?) - can constitute an upgrade.</p>
<p dir="ltr"> </p>
<p dir="ltr"> </p>
<p dir="ltr"><b>2) If there's no blockbuster trade before the season, which aspect of a player's game necessitates the most improvement (<span>Draymond Green</span> shooting, <span>Harrison Barnes</span> dribbling, <span>Nemanja Nedovic</span> anything)?</b></p>
<p dir="ltr"> </p>
<p dir="ltr"><b><i>Sam Sorkin (</i></b><a href="https://twitter.com/samsportfan23" target="_blank">@samsportfan23</a>)<b><i>:</i></b></p>
<p dir="ltr">For the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/">Warriors</a> to reach the upper echelon of the Western Conference and NBA as a whole without a massive blockbuster trade, Draymond Green will need to better his outside shooting quite significantly.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Draymond had a career year off the bench as a do-everything forward, but new head coach Steve Kerr (and whichever "offensive coordinator"/assistant coach management hires) could - and should - envision Green as a stretch power forward. He's an excellent passer, a ferocious rebounder for his size, and a stalwart defensively. However, his shooting lacks touch - Green, <a href="http://espn.go.com/nba/player/stats/_/id/6589/draymond-green">for his career</a>, has shot under 30% from the three-point line. If Draymond this season and beyond could raise his three-point percentage to between 35% and 40%, the Warriors will be that much more difficult to guard; there would be greater spacing that would give the NBA's best offensive player not named <span>LeBron James</span> (<a href="http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/rpm/_/sort/ORPM">yes, that would be Stephen Curry</a>) much more room to operate. The quickest and most practical way (without trading anyone) to space the floor and improve the offense would be for Draymond Green to vastly improve his three-point shooting.</p>
<p> </p>
<p dir="ltr"><b><i>Ronaldinho:</i></b></p>
<p dir="ltr">I agree with Sam. Draymond's outside shooting is the #1 priority. Obviously, it'd be nice to see Lee's midrange come back, and maybe even see him extend out to 3-pt land, but we've heard talk about him extending his range for several seasons now. But maybe if we land Engelland as an assistant, as Kerr is reportedly trying to do, there might be cause for optimism there.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Obviously, we all want to see Barnes get back on the upward trajectory that defined his rookie season, but I think the easiest way to get more offense out of Bogut, Iguodala, and Barnes is simply going to be to use them better. It's not going to be about individual skill development (although I expect to see some from Barnes) so much as better teamwork resulting it more good looks.</p>
<p> </p>
<p dir="ltr"><i><b>Ivan:</b></i></p>
<p dir="ltr">Agreeing with smart people is usually a good idea, but I'll go out on some limbs. Draymond Green is already a golden god. I'm tempted to say something about Nemanja Nedovic, but I don't know if Bob Myers can go into the season resting his hopes on Nedo - even if he improves tremendously, we might not know it as he sits on the bench waiting to get garbage minutes behind <span>Kirk Hinrich</span> or <span>Devin Harris</span>.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Harrison Barnes... No, it's too early in the offseason to go down that rabbit hole.</p>
<p dir="ltr">But here's another name: Festus Ezeli. If Fezzy can improve his offensive game to be non-negative, and come back from a ridiculously long knee surgery recovery to show the same defensive chops and instincts in the lane, he's going to make a big difference. We can't expect Jermaine O'Neal to have extra terrestrials inject him with anti-aging serum again... Or can we?</p>
<p> </p>
<p dir="ltr"><i><b>Nate P: </b></i></p>
<p dir="ltr">I was never really sold on Barnes, am pretty sold that Green is on a permanent upward trajectory (that will eventually net him big bucks) and really have no idea what to expect from Nedo. So Ezeli is the one I'm really interested in, as I already mentioned in a recent post. Not to belabor the point, but there are enough question marks about the health of this post rotation that I think just having a guy who can step in for 15-20 minutes when called upon would be a massive boost for this roster.</p>
<p dir="ltr"> </p>
<p dir="ltr"><b><i>Andy Liu: </i></b></p>
<p dir="ltr">If there aren't any trades of major draft pickups, it has to be Harrison Barnes improving from what was an unforgettably awful sophomore campaign. Perhaps Kerr's <a href="https://www.poundingtherock.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Spurs</a>-y offense (the new rage!) will give him more space to operate as a slasher, cutter, dunker.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p dir="ltr"><b>3) Golden State currently has zero picks in this year's draft, but if the Warriors jump in (like last season), who is a player to consider?</b></p>
<p> </p>
<p dir="ltr"><i><b>Ronaldinho:</b></i></p>
<p dir="ltr">I've heard good things about this Embid fellow.</p>
<p dir="ltr">I kid. I honestly have paid even less attention to the draft this year than I usually do.</p>
<p> </p>
<p dir="ltr"><b><i>Ivan:</i></b></p>
<p dir="ltr">I want Dario Saric, someway, somehow. But I'm a Croatian homer and am freshly bitter from the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-cup-2014">World Cup</a> opening robbery, ahem, match against Brazil. Whatever, Saric is totally the next <span>Dirk Nowitzki</span>, and don't you dare try to spell the name of Nikoloz Tskitishvili.</p>
<p> </p>
<p dir="ltr"><b><i>Nate P:</i></b></p>
<p dir="ltr">In Logo I Trust; For Barnes, I Forgive</p>
<p dir="ltr"> </p>
<p dir="ltr"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Andy Liu: </i>They have no picks because of the Andre Iguodala trade so their best bet might be to trade future picks (a respective first rounder in 2015 and 2016, but both untradeable because of the Stepien Rule) to acquire a late-first/second or simply buying one for "cash considerations", whatever that means. If they somehow secure something, I'd wager my bets on a Nik Stauskas. He's likely a lottery pick but remains my favorite player in the Draft because he reminds me of <span>Stephen Curry</span>.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Stauskas morphed his abilities as simply a shooter into a ball handler in the last two seasons, <a target="_blank" href="http://grantland.com/the-triangle/old-genius-new-genius-john-beilein-and-nik-stauskas-lead-the-michigan-resurgence/">going through a physical transformation</a> as well. The Warriors could either use a superstar like <span>Kevin Love</span>, or if they are forced to keep building depth, a third guard and a big man. Stauskas fills the need as a ball handler to go with extraordinary shooting touch.</p>
<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
<p dir="ltr"><b>4) How much did Joe Lacob and Bob Myers' handling of <span>Mark Jackson's</span> exit affect your feelings of his tenure as head coach?</b></p>
<p> </p>
<p dir="ltr"><i><b>Ronaldinho:</b></i></p>
<p dir="ltr">Well, I was ready to see him go regardless. Overall, the pissing match that happened after the firing didn't make anyone look good. I have my opinions about who is more responsible for that (after all, the team fired Nellie, which was somewhat controversial at the time, without there being a similar whisper campaign about him) but "at the end of the day" Jackson's a guy who did some things well (particularly getting buy-in on defense) but wasn't likely to take us to the next level.</p>
<p dir="ltr">That's how I felt before he was fired. That's how I feel today. The only thing that changed is that the various reports that came out after the firing make me more skeptical about Jackson's ability to learn, and fix his areas of weakness. A guy who is only great at getting buy-in, who has a strong staff and trusts them, can be a very successful coach in this league. That same guy who is in charge of a toxic environment where talented young coaches like <span>Darren Erman</span> get shoved out the door? Not so much.</p>
<p> </p>
<p dir="ltr"><i><b>Ivan:</b></i></p>
<p>I was a huge Jackson backer for much of his tenure, and yet was still content, even mildly pleased, to see him go. That's how big of a fiasco the situation had become.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Joe Lacob said something when discussing Jackson's dismissal that I really believe: Mark Jackson was the right coach for the team at the time. He was a culture-changer. He either made guys believe in something - the team, themselves, maybe just him as a coach, I dunno, but something - or was enough of a singular polarizing force to allow them to escape The Curse that has hung over this franchise for so long. Smarter people than I will probably say, "Hey dummy, they finally got good players!" True, that's certainly the driver. Still, I feel like Jackson helped get us over some intangible hump of futility, simply because he was too damned stubborn to let it distract him.</p>
<p>We're over the hump. I believe that. Now we need a coach who doesn't have that singular purpose, one that can use some of the unity and confidence that Jackson brought to the table, but also brings with him a more versatile and extensive box of tools. Really looking forward to Head Coach Stan Van Gundy. Wait, what?</p>
<p> </p>
<p id="yiv5592109225docs-internal-guid-463ed069-a71b-1882-093d-850ce652fd19" dir="ltr"><b>Nate P:</b></p>
<p dir="ltr">Atma and I went to the fan rally thing at Oracle Arena when they introduced Jackson to season ticket holders and I remember thinking that his aim of getting that roster to become a good defensive team was utterly absurd (not to mention having us practice chanting defense).</p>
<p id="yui_3_16_0_1_1402962974004_1974" dir="ltr">Two years later and this team has become one of the best defensive squads in the league.</p>
<p id="yui_3_16_0_1_1402962974004_1965" dir="ltr">Whether that's coaching, personnel changes or (more likely) some combination of both, I don't think there's any question that Jackson's leadership as head coach had some part in that massive shift in culture and I don't necessarily think the guys will revert to being a bottom five defense in his absence. But I also think firing him is an enormous risk that might signal something about how Lacob, Myers, & Co. envision the role of a coach: I know some people think it shows that they know better than the guys they pay to coach, but a different spin might be that they don't believe that kind of culture shift is not dependent upon any one individual.</p>
<p id="yui_3_16_0_1_1402962974004_1967" dir="ltr">It's really difficult to tell what actually transpired given the way these reports have come out, but I got the sense from the beginning that they saw Jackson as more of a "middle manager" who communicates a message/vision that is agreed collaboratively rather than the central authority from which all else follows. From that perspective, they showed the commitment to getting those defensive guys - Green, <span>Andrew Bogut</span>, <span>Andre Iguodala</span> - and Jackson was able to get the players to commit to a defensive vision. In contrast, the reports about this situation seemed to suggest that Jackson might have taken the opposing perspective in which the coach's authority is more at the center of the decision-making process and all success can be attributed to him alone.</p>
<p id="yui_3_16_0_1_1402962974004_1969" dir="ltr">There are pros and cons to both organizational philosophies - personality-driven leadership vs. collaborative leadership - but everyone has to be on the same page and, best I can tell, Jackson was probably an excellent fit for the role they envisioned him in but probably saw himself as more significant to the team's success than management did.</p>
<p> </p>
<p dir="ltr"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Andy Liu: </i></p>
<p dir="ltr"><i style="font-weight: bold;"></i>There's nothing like grown men squabbling to stoke the flames of controversy! But seriously, the troubling undertones, overtones, or whatever toner we're talking about of race makes this a messier, denser topic of discussion. It ultimately rendered the entire divorce between the two parties something more of a spectacle and talking point that glossed over what seemed like on paper: the necessary progression, albeit the amount of risk involved, from one stalled-out regime to another that's ostensibly built for the long haul.</p>
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https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2014/6/17/5816120/golden-state-warriors-gsom-roundtable-on-steve-kerr-making-the-leap-the-draft-and-markaliu272014-05-29T16:13:55-07:002014-05-29T16:13:55-07:00Important reminder from Curry: "Guys are human."
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<figcaption>USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Days after <a href="http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2014/5/27/5754806/andrew-bogut-stephen-a-smith-mark-jackson" target="new">Andrew Bogut shared his thoughts about ousted Warriors coach Mark Jackson</a>, Steph Curry did the same today during a media session. </p> <p>After accepting t<a target="_blank" href="http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2014/5/28/5759072/golden-state-warriors-stephen-curry-2014-nba-community-assist-award">he 2014 NBA's Community Assist Award </a>this morning, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/">Golden State Warriors</a> All-Star <span>Stephen Curry</span> spoke to the media about his feelings regarding <span>Mark Jackson</span> being fired earlier this month.</p>
<p>Naturally, that leaves people to wonder about whether the Warriors' superstar is committed to the franchise in the long-term.</p>
<p>The media asked the appropriate questions and his answers will probably leave some fans with more questions - <a target="_blank" href="http://www.bayareasportsguy.com/mark-jackson-fired-stephen-curry-contract-extension/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mark-jackson-fired-stephen-curry-contract-extension&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed">Bay Area Sports Guy made the fair point</a> that Curry's (non-)responses today seemed more evasive than usual, which might be read into as a bad omen.</p>
<p>Not at all to refute that sentiment, but I actually think there's some valuable truth in one of Curry's more straightforward points, <a target="_blank" href="http://blogs.mercurynews.com/kawakami/2014/05/29/steph-curry-on-steve-kerr-mark-jackson-keep-klay-thompson-and-his-commitment-to-the-warriors-long-term/">as reported by Tim Kawakami</a>.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It's just tough. I mean, there's no sugarcoating it. It was a weird expedited situation that we didn't see coming. And guys are human-got to be able to adjust to it and have some time to respond.</p>
<p>That's kind of what happened. Like I said, I think we'll be fine once we have a clear picture of what's going on next year.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Even if we want to imagine these guys as cold gladiators without feelings, these guys are human.</p>
<p>Any time you (rather quickly) lose a coach/boss/teacher under whom you enjoy working, of course there's going to be an adjustment period - that was the obvious risk of firing Jackson to begin with. At the same time, liking an authority doesn't inherently mean they're the best for you or your development - especially in this case, I can personally say I'm neither a fan of Jackson nor the move to replace him with a completely inexperienced Steve Kerr but can also say that right now we have about as good an idea as Curry about how well this will work out for the team (that would be "no idea", unless some among us are clairvoyant).</p>
<p>Uncertainty sucks, but it doesn't negate the possibility of a better future. And there's nothing to suggest that Curry is unaware of that rather simple fact.</p>
<p>Even taking all that into account, I don't think we can take anything Curry said outside of the context of where the Warriors have been: consecutive playoff berths is something this organization hasn't achieved since many of these players were very young children and before <span>Harrison Barnes</span> was even born.</p>
<p>Jackson's impact on this organization was arguably more meaningful than average and that's not lost on an All-Star like Curry who will be playing for the fourth coach of his career this coming season.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It was emotional for sure, seeing that come to an end. For me, it was who he was as a person, and our relationship and communication, but also just, he was a sign of stability for me.</p>
<p>I had three coaches in three years and he embodies what I know as good around here with the Warriors, winning and that kind of feel. It was a lot different my first years. Not to say... I loved Coach Smart and Coach Nelson... but he embodied winning for me, and it's tough to see that end.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>To expect these guys not to feel anything about losing a coach they liked and were successful with for<i> this organization</i> would be ridiculous; to expect them to sacrifice winning in the future for pouting under the new coach is probably just as ridiculous.</p>
<p>If the Warriors win moving forward, Curry will probably want to re-sign anyway (barring financial complications) and we'll easily forget about this episode.</p>
<p><i>For more reaction to Mark Jackson being fired, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2014/4/29/5667444/mark-jackson-golden-state-warriors-job">check out our Mark Jackson storystream</a>.</i></p>
https://www.goldenstateofmind.com/2014/5/29/5762822/stephen-curry-mark-jackson-golden-state-warriorsNate P.