Golden State Warriors: Mark Jackson Deserves a Long-Term Contract Extension
February 12, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson instructs during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets at Oracle Arena. The Rockets defeated the Warriors 116-107. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
NBA Player. Pastor. Broadcaster. Head coach.
Mark Jackson is a very well known man for a lot of different reasons. He is a very confident man and has a high basketball I.Q. He has taken the NBA by storm as he heads into his third season as the head coach of the Golden State Warriors.
Jackson failed to lead the team to a successful season in his first year with Golden State, but he orchestrated the Warriors squad beautifully in his second season as their head coach.
That successful season was the 2012-2013 season, where the energetic Warriors team finished the year with 47 wins and made the playoffs for just the second time in nearly two decades. Golden State secured the sixth seed in the postseason and went on to upset the Denver Nuggets in the first round, while getting knocked out by the San Antonio Spurs in six games in the second round.
Coach Jackson deserves a ton of credit for the Warriors’ recent success. He played point guard in the NBA for 17 seasons and dished out the third-most assists in NBA history. He knows what it is like to be a player under the big bright lights of the NBA spotlight and can relate to his guys.
Many doubted Golden State’s management for hiring Jackson because he had no previous coaching experience prior to his hire. He went straight from the broadcasting booth to the NBA sidelines again and there were skeptics out there. But hey, doesn’t everybody start somewhere? It sure looks like Jackson has silenced all of his haters at this point.
The Warriors recently picked up Jackson’s option for the 2014-2015 season, guaranteeing that he will be the head coach for them for at least two more seasons. But that shouldn’t satisfy the Warriors.
Golden State’s front office found a gem in Jackson, and they need to make sure that they keep him around for a long time. In just his second season with the team, he was able to elevate them to the second round of the playoffs and show the fans what they truly deserve.
He deserves a long-term contract extension for a lot of different reasons. But at the end of the day, Jackson has done nothing but good for Golden State and at this point, they are headed towards the top of the NBA. The recent acquisition of All-Star Andre Iguodala makes the Warriors a much scarier team and you can bet that Jackson will be able to coach the athletic swingman into fitting their explosive system.
Jackson is able to motivate his players left and right and keep them aligned with what is going on in the game. His keen sense of the game of basketball is unmatched around the league (Jason Kidd now joins this category), and he knows how to utilize his star players.
He deserves a long-term contract extension because he has taken the Warriors to the next level, somewhere that they have been waiting far too long to reach.