2014 NBA Playoffs: 10 Burning Questions (Part 1)

8. Was firing Mark Jackson the right move for the Golden State Warriors?

I’ve defended Mark Jackson at length, but now that Steve Kerr has been hired as the new coach of the Warriors, this is worth taking another look at. In his last two seasons coaching the Dubs, when he had a healthy Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Andrew Bogut, Jackson compiled a 98-66 record (.597), took the San Antonio Spurs to six games in the Western Conference Semifinals and took a superior Clippers team to seven games despite not having his best defensive player (Andrew Bogut) available. Curry and his players bought into his leadership and stood behind him, but the behind-the-scenes drama between the embattled Jackson and owner Joe Lacob was too much in the end.

This wasn’t a basketball decision; it was an organizational decision. Jackson and Lacob clashed over where Jackson would live in the Bay area, they disagreed on how Jackson essentially got rid of two beloved assistant coaches and when Jackson didn’t get the contract extension he was expecting, his insecurities gave way to exuding confidence and brashness. That being said, if you’re a team that wins 51 games and wants to compete for championships, hiring a rookie head coach probably isn’t the best way to make that immediate switch.

Kerr has a terrific basketball mind, as he’s shown in his TNT broadcasts with Marv Albert as a commentator. But there’s no denying Phil Jackson drove his stock through the roof and Kerr has zero head coaching experience. He now takes the helm of a 51-win team that fell short of expectations in 2013-14. To be fair, there’s a chance Kerr comes out and blows our socks off much like rookie head coaches Jeff Hornacek, Dave Joerger, Jason Kidd and Steve Clifford did. But when the Dubs missed on hiring Stan Van Gundy and had to settle for Kerr, a ton of pressure plopped itself on this rookie head coach’s shoulders. Only time will tell if it was the right move.