Warriors Begin Search For Next Coach
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Golden State Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob has never been afraid to take a risk. And he knows his latest move - firing coach Mark Jackson - comes with a lot of risk.
Lacob just believes it's one worth taking.
After jettisoning Jackson on Tuesday, Lacob and general manager
"We do have some ideas of what we want to do," Lacob said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. "We will look at all the basic aspects such as basketball experience, and I don't mean coaching necessarily. Someone like Mark Jackson had played 17 years in the NBA, that's a lot of experience. In this case it might be more coaching experience, it might not. We're kind of open to that.
"But it has to be someone with good pedigree, someone who's a leader, someone who can deal with the pressure of a situation. We have been somewhat successful
The job is certainly a far more attractive one than when Lacob hired Jackson away from the ESPN/ABC broadcast table in June 2011. The Warriors are coming off a 51-win season and consecutive playoff appearances for the first time in 20 years, and they've surrounded star Stephen Curry with young talent.
Lacob compared the decision to change coaches to how he built his fortune as a venture capitalist in Silicon Valley. He said there's a different person to lead a business
"Or in this case win an NBA championship," he said. "And we just felt overall we needed a different person to go forward and get to the next level."
Where the Warriors go for their next coach is unclear. Lacob and Myers both declined to discuss specific candidates.
Former NBA player and current TNT broadcaster Steve Kerr, who is also a candidate for the New York Knicks job
If the Warriors look to the college
The one thing Lacob is banking on is he should have a more wide-ranging field than when he made his first coaching hire as owner. Among the coaches the Warriors reached out to during that search: Jackson, Michael Malone, Mike Brown, Brian Shaw, Dwane Casey, Jeff Van Gundy and Mike Budenholzer.
"We think this is a very attractive job," Lacob said. "Compared to three years ago, we have an outstanding organization. Three years ago, not only was the team not winning, but the organization needed a lot of work."
Lacob also understands a new coach comes with the risk of disrupting team chemistry.
Nearly every player publicly called for Jackson to return - most notably Curry, whom Lacob said was told of the decision ahead of time. Lacob said he hopes his ownership group has built enough clout with players and fans since it bought the franchise in 2010 that they will have faith in the decisions management makes.
"I think they have the same goals as us - to win and to achieve a high level of success," Lacob said. "And I think they have to trust us a little bit, that we have the same goals and we're going to do everything we can to bring in the best coach possible and will manage the attributes of each player in a way that will allow us to win as many games as possible."
Antonio Gonzalez can be reached at: www.twitter.com/agonzalezAP
Updated May 7, 2014
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