golden state warriors mark jackson and brian scalabrine in happier times last summer (Photo: Alex Young / Bleacher Report)
WARRIORS PRACTICE FACILITY, OAKLAND, CA — It began at 11:46AM this morning when Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted a link to his latest story, hot off the presses:
Yahoo Sources: Golden State coach Mark Jackson has forced a reassignment of assistant coach Brian Scalabrine. http://t.co/6ERKps4BXO
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) March 25, 2014
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Golden State Warriors head coach had dismissed Brian Scalabrine from his staff of assistant coaches. The organization would later report after practice, which ended about 45 minutes after Wojnarowski’s report was published, that Scalabrine would be reassigned to the D-League Santa Cruz Warriors in a capacity to be determined — current Santa Cruz head coach Casey Hill‘s job is not in jeopardy.
#Warriors PR told us after the Mark Jackson interview that Brian Scalabrine had been reassigned to Santa Cruz "in some capacity".
— LetsGoWarriors (@LetsGoWarriors) March 25, 2014
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Wojnarowski’s article began as follows:
In what’s become an increasingly dysfunctional atmosphere, Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson has forced a reassignment of assistant coach Brian Scalabrine, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
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Ownership and management have been strong advocates of Scalabrine and his performance on the job, sources told Yahoo Sports. Nevertheless, Warriors officials decided that as long as Jackson is the head coach, he’ll have control of his coaching staff.
The report also stated that current Sacramento Kings head coach and former Number One assistant to Jackson on the Warriors, “Michael Malone and Jackson would go weeks without speaking to each other a year ago, league sources said.”
After today’s practice, speaking during media availability, Jackson refuted the use of the word “dysfunctional”, saying nothing could be further from the truth.
“With any staff or any job, there’s going to be difference in philosophies. At the end of the day, whoever’s in charge makes the decisions and that’s the way you go,” Jackson said, “It’s important we are tied together and we are excited about what lies ahead. We are excited what has taken place up to this point. The culture, the environment, with no dysfunction at all. That’s comical.”
And what exactly is that culture?
“I believe in what we’ve been able to do here as an ownership group, a management group, a coaching staff, players, a fan base that’s the best in the business, to do what has taken place the last three years and to be in the position we are today,” Jackson replied, “It’s a winning culture where it’s a family culture and we have fun.”
“Dysfunction isn’t guys bringing their kids here at ten o’clock at night and playing 3-on-3 with the coach,” Jackson expounded, “Dysfunction isn’t bringing your nephew and walking around the facility and bringing your mom and dad and teams hanging around you eating.”
Jackson did say that, as with any player trade, for example, he sat down with the team and explained his decision to let go of Scalabrine.
“We all are in this thing together and I owe them the same way if we had made a trade as an organization or if we cut somebody or traded KB (Kent Bazemore, who was traded last month to the Los Angeles Lakers), I’m pulling the guys in because KB has something invested in this team and I want to acknowledge it,” Jackson explained, “I did talk to them beforehand and I let them know it’s my decision and we move forward.”
Jackson wasn’t going to let the label bother him.
“What is it going to do? What do you get out of that? I’ve played in this league for seventeen years, I’ve announced for the league for five or six years, and I’ve been coaching for three years,” Jackson said, “I’ve seen dysfunction. I’ve witnessed it firsthand. I’ve been part of teams and organizations that were dysfunctional.”
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