First-time coach Mark Jackson has a bold prediction for his first season with the Golden State Warriors. "I fully expect, put it in bold letters, the Golden State Warriors to be a playoff team next year," Jackson said Tuesday, a day after being hired by the team that has been to the playoffs only once since 1994. "If I did not expect that, I would not have taken the job, and I won't minimize it with just being a playoff team. We are looking to turn the Bay Area upside down." Read more: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=6637666
I don't think Jackson is going to like Larry Riley. Riley is too satisfied with mediocrity IMO. I was really disappointed with his public comments last season, especially after the trade deadline. I wonder how long he will last as gm.
Riley isn't very relevant I would assume. Lacob is the final decision maker and seems to have plenty of opinion. Bob Myers has a voice. Jerry West has a voice. This guy Travis Schlenk sounds like hes got some pull. Just read an Mark Jackson interview yesterday where he was asked about how much say he had and he said hes definitely got some pull because "at the end of the day the success of the team will determine whether people say 'Mark JAckson is a good coach' or 'Mark Jackson is not a good coach'". I think Riley does have a voice but its just one of five or six and he serves as the de facto media mouth piece. IMO it seems like Jackson answers to Lacob not Riley. Riley does the leg work but at this point I'd guess that Lacob, West, and Jackson have leapfrogged him in terms of how seriously his input is considered.
At the earliest next offseason. I'm just saying even though Riley is the "GM" and might say stuff in interviews that isn't very intriguing it ultimately makes no difference as far as the bball decisions getting made. Getting rid of him doesn't really do much except put Myers in a higher position (which hes probably not ready for yet) we'll be listening to him as the go-to interviewee for the media. Like I said, I think Lacob, West, and Jackson have the biggest input at this point and then Riley/Schlenk/Myers get some say but not as much. Riley does leg work once that unit makes a decision and he chats with the media but hes not going to say anything interesting, just like most GMs don't. Hes one of the lowest paid GMs in the league I believe and with West being old and living in SoCal and Myers being too green he does serve a purpose for the time being. He's been a GM, hes been an NBA bench coach. He can give some advice to Myers and Jackson in that respect. I don't think his contract runs much longer than a year or two so I wouldn't be surprised if hes around until then. Even after that if they all like him and hes willing to work under Myers (who I presume only came on board under the assumption that he would eventually be a GM) then I could see him being around for a while longer. Bottom line is hes got experience and knows how the job works which Myers and Lacob don't have. I don't see Lacob flying all over the country/world, beating the bushes and kicking the tires, talking to the media, etc. West doesn't want to do any of that crap either and hes not even in the Bay Area most of the time. Riley costs nothing and is capable of carrying out basic GM duties until Myers gets his feet wet. There's no reason to dump him.
Well I like that Jackson has high expectations. That is the only way to be in the NBA in my opinion. I mean just look at the number of teams that make it - more than the number that don't! I just got turned off with Riley's comments after the trade deadline. It looked like he was already getting ready for the offseason with very low expectations though we were not out of it. I think he could have still added D-League players to fill some holes, especially since it was the bench that was so weak. I kind of feel for Smart for having to work with this guy. Riley is like the anti-Brian Sabbean. It is good to at least have the owners and coach that expects playoffs and who will not give up. (not a rip on Smart)
I think it's cool that Jackson said that, but what else was he going to say? "Guys, you're going to have to give me a couple years, b/c Red Auerbach couldn't coach these players into the playoffs" ?
He could have said, "this is a young team with good pieces, but still a few missing pieces and a little more experience away from making much noise." The kind of stuff we have been told forever. I guess more diplomatic versions of what you said.
