#DubNation News Flash: Mark Jackson Allegedly Barred Jerry West From Practice And Tried To Make Darren Erman’s Life Difficult (Photo: Lance Iversen / The Chronicle)
After nearly a month of waiting, details on the unusual late-season demotions and firings on Mark Jackson‘s Golden State Warriors coaching staff have finally surfaced.
ESPN’s Chris Broussard‘s insights opened a can of worms Tuesday morning, but it didn’t stop there. Now, Grantland’s Zach Lowe has confirmed and added to the list of secretive in-house Warriors drama.
After Broussard reported that former assistant coach Darren Erman was fired for secretly recording conversations between the coaching staff, Lowe revealed a bit more of the story.
The tension with Erman got weird. Midseason, the team moved Erman’s parking spot to a less convenient place, likely at the behest of Jackson or one of Jackson’s allies on the staff, per multiple sources familiar with the matter. They began changing his duties in strange ways.
If reports are true, there’s far more going on in the Warriors locker room than previously thought. The news has brought on a new onslaught of conspiracies from fans and media alike, including one that suggests Erman was a spy for the Warriors front office, and that Jackson knew it, but most everything is still just speculation at this point.
Lowe was also told of growing tensions between Jackson and team advisor Jerry West:
Jackson made a show of firing (Brian) Scalabrine) in front of players and other coaches, but he had no real grounds, and the front office made Jackson find a compromise, per a source familiar with the matter: demoting Scalabrine to the D-League. In addition, Jackson has asked that Jerry West, a high-level adviser in Golden State, not attend most practices and team activities, sources say.
This isn’t the first time West has been barred from a team functions. In just a short time working with Phil Jackson with the Los Angeles Lakers, the two reportedly had numerous run-ins and disagreements, including the “Zen Master” asking “The Logo” to leave the locker room.
Phil is an all-time great coach, and West has a history of amazing success as a player, coach and general manager. Mark Jackson isn’t quite on either’s level, but it’s easy to understand Jackson’s reasoning. With the Warriors, West’s official title is advisor. If Jackson feels West’s presence affects his coaching or his players in ways he doesn’t like, he shouldn’t be there.
Jackson’s New York-sized ego has been portrayed as a big part of wanting control of his team, but it’s likely just more comfortable for Jackson to not feel like he has management looking over his shoulder, although maybe it’s a bit late for that.
Whatever the case is in either situation, it only further complicates the already confusing state of Jackson’s security with the team moving forward. Despite the issues, Lowe reminds us that the Warriors’ players have shown great support for their coach:
The atmosphere has bordered on poisonous, though to the credit of Jackson, his staff, and his players, it has not spilled onto the court. The team plays hard, they’re very good, and they have a chance to make noise in the playoffs despite the ill-timed injury to Andrew Bogut. The players have almost universally spoken up, and quite loudly, in Jackson’s defense.
“Poisonous” is a strong word, but it certainly highlights much of the fan feelings surrounding yet another dramatic news story surrounding Jackson. It seems, now more than ever, every game carries enormous weight in Jackson’s future as head coach of the team, and it’s unclear what Jackson must do to earn a contract extension.
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