Even for a prototypical “players” coach, Golden State Warriors’ Mark Jackson must understand the precarious nature of contract extensions.
NBA owners profess nebulous goals, unattainable benchmarks and the usual championship-or-bust rhetoric.
Confidence waivers. Demand for immediate wins is through the roof.
Luckily for Jackson, Warriors’ team brass has been patient up to this point.
Majority owner Joe Lacob set realistic goals when his ownership group bought the club back in 2010. Even if that entailed NBA titles in the not so distant future, they provided Jackson with the necessary leeway.
Indeed, Jackson was not fired after struggling through a lockout-shortened 2010-2011 campaign. He remained firmly in place despite the team’s cringe-inducing 23-43 record.
After doubling its win total in year two on the job, Jackson led Golden State to the Western Conference semifinals following Dub Nation’s opening-round victory over the Denver Nuggets.
The Warriors mounted a furious effort against the favored San Antonio Spurs and put on a dazzling show through the first four games. They nearly stole Game One in a double-overtime thriller, but still managed a win in San Antonio, and later evened the series at two apiece in another overtime contest.
Sadly, the Spurs were too much for an upstart Warriors squad.
The conference champions showcased their superiority by winning the next two games and falling just seconds short of a Finals win against the Miami Heat. They still rue the day that Ray Allen hit that miraculous three in Game Six.
In any event, Jackson guided his troops in an inspirational fashion that is so inherent to his ministerial nature. He rallied Golden State through adverse conditions against a superior foe, and kept their heads afloat following the gut-wrenching series defeat.
Most importantly, he maintained the big-picture resolve. He did so then, and continues to do so now in a 2013-2014 campaign rife with lofty expectations.
To wit, those grand designs became entirely implicit when Warriors management “picked up the team option on Jackson’s original four-year, $8 million contract,” as reported last July by Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group.
The activating of that clause guaranteed Jackson’s survival through the life of the deal.
But that endorsement also materialized alongside the tacit confidence over reaching the Western Conference finals this year.
In other words, ownership believes it afforded Jackson the requisite tools to achieve that end.
The Warriors arguably (and it’s a good argument) feature the Association’s best starting five.
Point guard Stephen Curry is a deity-like floor general who ranks second in total assists (fifth with 8.6 APG) and leads the league in three-point field goals. Fellow backcourt constituent Klay Thompson sits just behind Curry in that latter category and is an emerging all-around talent on both ends of the floor.
Power forward David Lee, meanwhile, averages 18.5 points and 9.6 rebounds. He has contributed to 7.2 wins via continual double-doubles, a 19.5 player efficiency rating and really underrated defense.
Speaking of which, point forward Andre Iguodala and center Andrew Bogut are the lockdown defenders who orchestrate this team’s top-three defensive rating (101.9 points allowed per 100 possessions). Iguodala neutralizes the opposition’s best, while Bogut thoroughly dominates the paint with a top-six block percentage and fourth-ranked rebound percentage.
And what was once considered the Warriors’ fatal flaw is now often seen as a legitimate strength.
Savvy point man Steve Blake runs a second unit that boasts lethal shooting (at times) with Jordan Crawford, dynamic play by forward Harrison Barnes (still needs consistency), high-IQ execution in all areas by Draymond Green and veteran grit behind center Jermaine O’Neal (the man’s still got it).
Yes, this contingent couldn’t hold a seven-point advantage against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday when Jackson removed the starters late in the third quarter. But to be sure, the backups had been a consistently dominant force over the Warriors’ preceding five-game winning streak.
Point being, Jackson, in the eyes of Lacob and Co., has the necessary personnel assets from positions one through five at his disposal—the ones that will conquer the West.
The same goes for the perceptions held by many influential basketball analysts on the outside.
Jackson, for his part, has led Golden State to a 41-25 mark and sixth place standing in an absurdly competitive conference. This team had never once experienced the sensation of sitting 16 games above .500 over the previous two years of his tenure.
Better yet, the Warriors are on pace to eclipse the 50-win plateau over the remaining 16 games (coincidence) of this season. And they remain in prime position for a deep playoff run.
It’s clear that Jackson has helped fulfill a paradigm shift that first Lacob—and later general manager Bob Myers—has inculcated throughout this organization.
It’s also apparent that he has fostered a sustainable winning culture predicated on shutdown defense, deadly three-point shooting and free-flowing, but intelligent overall play on the hardwood.
But in order for Jackson to receive that aforementioned contract extension, the Warriors must realize their potential and advance to the conference finals. And they must put up a highly competitive seven-game fight if they don’t make it to the ultimate stage.
Jackson epitomizes what it is to be a players’ coach—a guy who leads through both tangible Xs and O’s and intangible, culturally sensitive qualities. The media and general viewing public love him for it.
Now, he must convey what it is to be a postseason-winning Bay Area legend, one that an otherwise wealthy collection of Armani-sporting executives can’t afford to lose.
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