Mark

Jackson

Jackson has been in the broadcasting booth since he was fired by the Warriors in 2014, but his name always comes up in head coaching searches. As Amick added in his article, an early endorsement from LeBron doesn’t guarantee you a job. In fact, LeBron was more interested in both Tyronn Lue and Jason Kidd as the coach of the Lakers than Frank Vogel when they made that hire. Jackson has long been a supporter of LeBron, so he could end up being one of the final candidates. A lot of the other early names popping up have jobs in more functional organizations, which could discourage them from wanting to head to LA.

Tyronn Lue, Jason Kidd, Mark Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy, Mike Brown and the incumbent interim coach Jacque Vaughn are all expected to interview for the position, with Lue reportedly being an early favorite. For what it’s worth, Tom Thibodeau is not currently being considered for the Brooklyn job, but he has been involved in a lot of rumors linking him to the Knicks.

Jackson, making his Rockets’ debut on a 10-day contract, quarterbacked the team for the final eight minutes of the game, and found Yao quite often as the big man posted 29 points. He could stick around for a little while.

Jackson, 39, expects to go into coaching once he’s done as a player. He may stick around for one more year, though.

Jackson has issued an apology for the affair and the Warriors say they support Jackson. The FBI was also involved, but this will all likely be water under the bridge by the time the new season rolls around.

Jackson meant that shipping Ellis out of town has had a positive effect on his team, so he’s swinging a pretty big bat with a comment like that. “Obviously it was easier to pull the trigger because we know what we had in Klay and it was the time for him to be a starting two-guard. And he does everything right,” Jackson said. Asked specifically as to how the trade helped change the culture, Jackson replied, “You know.” We don’t anticipate a reunion any time soon.

After Peter Vecsey reported on Tuesday that Malone was a “living lock” to become the Kings next coach, sources confirmed the same to Warriors beat writer Marcus Thompson. At this point, it would be a surprise if Malone isn’t patrolling Sacramento’s sidelines next season.

“I’m thrilled to have a job and to coach this group of guys -- and with great ownership, a great front office and fan base,” Jackson said. “I’m a guy with great faith. I know it’ll work out. So I don’t get caught up in it. This isn’t standard ‘coach line.’ It’s the truth. It’ll work out. I do know that.” Jackson added that he’s likely to replace Michael Malone with Pete Myers who is already on Jackson’s staff.

Jackson was tagged for trying to “influence” the officials ahead of Thursday’s Game 6. Jackson accused the Nuggets of trying to take out Stephen Curry’s tender ankles with overly physical play Tuesday night, saying that he had “inside information” that backed him up. It was pretty obvious that Jackson was trying to soften up the refs, protect Curry and possibly land some favorable calls Thursday night. We’re betting that Jackson will happily give up the 25K if that ends up being the case.

Wojnarowski reported earlier Wednesday that an unnamed Western Conference team had discussed a KG trade with Boston and now we know it was Golden State. More than anything, this was a case of the Warriors just checking out every potential lead. Garnett is currently deciding whether to waive his no-trade clause to facilitate a massive deal with the Nets that would land Garnett, Jason Terry and Paul Pierce in Brooklyn for six players and three first-round picks.