Mark Jackson had the privilege of presiding over the rise of the Golden State Warriors at the start of the 2010s. Jackson also had the misfortune of watching the Warriors win the NBA title the year after he was fired.
But while he was not able to help lead the Warriors to a championship, Jackson still feels he deserves credit for helping to establish a winning culture in the Bay Area.
Via Ian Begley of SNY:
“Steve Kerr is a heckuva basketball coach and an even better person. So he's done a heckuva job with the Golden State Warriors. (But) I would say get the facts straight,” Jackson said, referring to his tenure as coach. “The fact is we were a top five defense over the course of that tenure and we were a top 10 offense when it was all said and done. You have to understand – and these guys will admit it – the Steph Currys, the Klay Thompsons, the Draymond Greens: the team that I had are not the same individuals (that they were when I coached them). They look the same, and they're the same people , but they're not the same players that they were when I first got ahold of them.
In essence, Jackson believes he helped set the foundation for future success.
Indeed, both Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson began to thrive under Jackson, who called them the greatest shooting duo in NBA history long before they became integral figures in the NBA.
However, this is not sour grapes from Jackson. He credited current Warriors head coach Steve Kerr with making the necessary adjustments (notably an offense predicated on ball movement) to help put the Warriors over the top. Jackson also said the players got stronger and smarter, and he even admitted there are some things he would do differently.
Still, Jackson wants to make sure Golden State's story is not told without his contributions to the franchise:
“That being said: I'd be a fool to sit here and tell you that there's nothing that I would do differently. There's certainly things that I would do differently. And I look forward to the opportunity of one day proving that. But there's no question about the success. This is a team that, one time in the previous (17) years made the playoffs. All of a sudden, they propel themselves into a dynasty. I don't want credit for making them a dynasty. But from that one time in (17) years to all of a sudden being a playoff team, something good takes place.”
Mark Jackson wants to get back in the coaching game, with the Brooklyn Nets and potentially the New York Knicks representing his best options.
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