6. Mark Jackson
The latest: The Cavaliers reportedly reached out to Mark Jackson a few weeks ago. The Cavaliers eventually hired David Blatt instead. New reports say that Mark Jackson is high on the Nets’ list of potential candidates to replace Kidd.
The skinny: The NBA is a cruel place, isn’t it? After turning around a torrid Warriors team and making the playoffs in two of the last three years, Jackson was fired by Golden State after arguments with the franchise’s higher-ups. (Sounds familiar.)
Surely you’ve heard by now, but Jackson was born and raised in Brooklyn, and played basketball at St. John’s before his solid nineteen-year NBA career including a Rookie of the Year Award in 1988. He also was a YES Network commentator prior to his head coaching gig. Jackson has been praised for his leadership and, in fact, after he was fired, almost every Warrior reached out to make it know that they were unhappy with the decision.
When Jason Kidd was struggling early this season, it was Jackson that reached out to support the new coach. It was Jackson that supported Kidd’s decision to rid Frank from the bench before he did so with Brian Scalabrine a few months later in Golden State. However, it was Jackson’s turn to go first, fighting enough with ownership to get himself fired. Who knew Kidd would follow in his footsteps this time?
The verdict: Mark Jackson may be the best candidate to take over in Brooklyn, after all. The similarities between Kidd and Jackson are high, but Jackson’s players stood firmly behind him after he was fired. Any sworn allegiances to the Nets could be a good thing after this fiasco.
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