The Golden State Warriors announced today that they had fired head coach Mark Jackson after three seasons leading the team. There had been some talk about his job status recently, but I really paid it no mind because I thought it would be ridiculous to even think that Jackson's job would be in jeopardy. Despite coming off a seven-game series loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, the Warriors were certainly one of the up and coming teams in the NBA. They are led by Stephen Curry, who is a budding superstar, and Curry was supplemented by a very nice cast of players. While they were not truly title contenders this season, the improvement the team had shown since Jackson took over as coach was undeniable, and not only were they exciting to watch, but they were becoming a force to be reckoned with in the Western Conference. Why then, would they fire Jackson? Honestly, I cannot find a reasonable explanation to that question.
Prior to Jackson taking over in 2011, the Warriors had a losing record in 15 of the previous 17 seasons. They had made the playoffs once in that time span, and had pretty much been the model of putridity. That means that in 17 seasons prior to his being hired, Golden State had two winning seasons. In three years under Jackson, the Warriors had two winning seasons and they made the playoffs in both of those years.
In 2013-14, the Warriors went 51-31. The last time the Warriors won that many games was 1992. In 1992, the Warriors were led by Chris Mullin, and they lost to the Seattle SuperSonics in the first round of the playoffs. In 2014, the SuperSonics do not even exist. They are known as the Oklahoma City Thunder and left Seattle six years ago.
So why then, would the team fire Jackson? Rumor has it that he had problems with the front office, and I have to believe that that is sadly, a legitimate possibility. Through the years, in all sports, we have learned that the executives are in charge. That is not just the case in sports, but it is the case in all professions as well. Good employees might bring about success or profits within a company, but at the end of the day, the executives are in charge, and challenging them is a recipe for disaster. We have not heard of any particular incidents between Jackson and the Warriors organization, but I have to think that must have had something to do with this move.
Following the expulsion of Jackson, owner Joe Lacob, president Rick Welts, and general manager Bob Myers have all released statements praising Jackson for his work, but citing the organization's desire to move in a "different direction." Jackson had the Warriors moving in a steeply uphill direction, so in my opinion, the statements of those men are far from credible. Supposedly, the Warriors are possibly interested in Lionel Hollins and Steve Kerr as replacements for Jackson, but I find it to be laughable that the organization would think either of those men could step in and pick up right where Jackson left off. Jackson not only had the team on a path to success, but he had the support of his players as well.
What this all boils down to is the fact that under Jackson, the Warriors have experienced far more success and improvement than they have in decades. They may not have won their first round series against the Clippers, but it went to seven games and it was a damn exciting seven games. The Clippers are legitimate contenders for the Western Conference crown, and the Warriors took them to the brink of elimination. However, the organization wanted to "move in a different direction."
It is things like this that make me realize that there are just some organizations in sports that do not put winning before anything else, and the Golden State Warriors have to fit into that category. Whether it is ownership, management, or some combination of both, there is a reason that the Warriors will never be on the level of the San Antonio Spurs or the Los Angeles Lakers. When those teams are down, they put everything else aside to try to rise up and win championships. When organizations like the Golden State Warriors are down, they seem to be content, and winning seems to be far from the top priority. The Red Sox want to win. The Astros do not. The Steelers want to win. The Lions do not. The Red Wings want to win. The Panthers do not. It is just a fact. No matter what the executives of each and every organization admits, we just have to accept the fact that some are in it for the long haul, and some are in it for nothing more than a profit.
Daily Rangers Update: The Rangers were overwhelmed at home last night by the Penguins, and they now find themselves down 2-1 in the series. A win in Game 4 is essential, because if they head back to Pittsburgh down 3-1, we have a big problem. Someone needs to step up in Game 4.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: Arizona lost last night in Milwaukee thanks to yet another uninspiring pitching performance. J.J. Putz was placed on the DL and Mike Bolsinger was demoted to AAA today, while Chase Anderson and Evan Marshall were promoted to the big league squad. At 11-24, we are pretty much looking for any possible kind of jump start, but hope seems to be growing dimmer and dimmer by the day.
Daily Nets Update: Game 1 in Miami is less than two hours away, and the Heat should be well rested and ready to go. Brooklyn could really use an unheralded player to step up tonight. Maybe someone like Marcus Thornton or Mirza Teletovic could step in and provide points off the bench. Either way the Nets will be facing an uphill challenge to take one of the first two games of the series in Miami.
Daily Giants Update: Nothing new to report since yesterday, except that the draft is one day closer. As I have already said, the Giants need to select some players who can impact the team for years to come, so the pressure will be on Jerry Reese & Co. to get that done.
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