And now come the denials….
In a report about Mark Jackson demoting assistant coach Brian Scalabrine (apparently for arguing with another assistant coach who has deeper, longer ties with Jackson) Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reported that last summer Jackson had kicked the tires on other coaching jobs in Brooklyn and with the Los Angeles Clippers. Neither of those went very far, but it was used as evidence of the dysfunction and distrust within the Warriors organization, as was the fact former coach Mike Malone and Jackson didn’t speak for weeks at a time.
Of course, on Wednesday Jackson denied wanting out. Our man Monte Poole of CSNBayArea.com has the report.“Not true,” (Jackson) said after practice…
“I’m not going to comment on everything,” Jackson said. “First of all, Mike Malone commented and said that his part was a lie. So there you have that. Second of all, it’s poor reporting by Wojnarowski if you decided and knew this to hold on to it until (Tuesday). That’s blockbuster stuff.
“So, not true. None of it was true. I’m not going to go any further. This is my job and I’m thrilled to death to be the head coach of the Golden State Warriors.”
First off, what do you expect him to say? Whether this is true or not it is the only thing both Jackson and Malone can say publicly.
Next, remember that there are layers to how these things work. For example, Jackson himself very well may not have had any contact with Brooklyn or Los Angeles but his agent could have tested the waters, or there are other back channel ways to express interest in something without a formal conversation. Same with Mark Malone — coaches can have quick, work-related conversations while having a very frosty personal relationship, just as you can at your office with the loudmouth three cubicles down.
The reports of tension in Golden State’s organization heard all around the league, something that starts with a very hands-on ownership group in the basketball side (that’s not always a good thing) and continues down all the way to the locker room. What that means for Jackson and his future in Golden State is up for debate — and what they do in the playoffs will be big factor. An ugly first round exit and a tough second round exit will feel very different when evaluating how or if this team progressed this year.
If you believe that Jackson is a stand up guy, then this is “not true.” Flat out. But I believe things tend to be more nuanced than that.
