Mark Jackson brought his surging Golden State Warriors to the Garden Friday night and added to the Knicks misery by delivering a 126-103 body slam on the home team.
It had to be sweet satisfaction for Jackson, the Brooklyn native and St. John’s alum who wanted desperately to coach the Knicks in 2008 when Mike D’Antoni was given the job.
“It’s all about winning ball games,” Jackson said after beating the Knicks. “So to me, as a coach, it doesn’t matter who we play or where we play, we are trying to put a ‘W’ in a win column.”
The Warriors (36-23) are in the hunt for a playoff berth in the difficult Western Conference, while the Knicks (21-38) have lost 11 of their last 13 games and will be looking for a new head coach soon.
It seems a bit silly now that Garden owner Jim Dolan was worried about Jackson’s lack of coaching experience and whether the former point guard turned broadcaster was the right man to rebuild the Knicks — the team for which he played seven of his 17 NBA seasons.
D’Antoni was viewed as more of a sure thing, but his run-and-gun offense was never the right fit. He was subsequently replaced by Mike Woodson, who initially brought in as a defensive specialist who happened to have head coaching experience.
Now it looks like the Knicks missed on D’Antoni and Woodson, while one of their own, Jackson, is having success in Golden State. Good for Jackson. But his return to the Garden Friday night brought to mind how many former Knicks players and assistant coaches have had to go elsewhere to prove themselves.
The list includes Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau, who was part of Jeff Van Gundy’s staff when the Knicks went to the 1999 Finals. Scott Brooks, the head coach of the Western Conference-leading Thunder, played for the Knicks, as did Doc Rivers, who coached Boston to an NBA championship before moving on to the Clippers. Mike Malone, born in Queens and a Knicks assistant from 2001-05, is the head coach at Sacramento, while Steve Clifford, the current coach in Charlotte, was a scout and assistant coach with the Knicks from 2001-03.
It’s as if the Knicks don’t appreciate their own when it comes to offering a chance to become a head coach which means Knicks legend Patrick Ewing shouldn’t bother to wait for a phone call when Woodson is axed. That’s a shame.
Thibodeau got his chance in Chicago and is proving to be one the league’s best coaches. Jackson is on the same path with a big endorsement from his star player Stephen Curry.
“He’s not overbearing where he’s trying to be in my ear on every possession,” said Curry, who led the Warriors with 27 points. “He allows me to play the way I play. But he’s quick to challenge me and quick to correct me when he sees a way to make me a better player.”
There’s little question the Knicks will be looking for a new coach at the end of this season if not sooner. Frustration almost boiled over in the fourth quarter when Tyson Chandler shoved Warriors forward Marreese Speights in the chest. A few minutes later, Chandler was ejected after receiving his second technical for jawing with Speights.
“It had less to do with him and more about what’s going on this season,” Chandler said.
Who the Knicks hire to replace Woodson, who was drafted by the Knicks but played only the 1980-81 season, will go a long way toward influencing whether Carmelo Anthony stays with the Knicks. Chances are it won’t be anyone with any real Knicks ties.
Ewing, an NBA assistant since 2002 who is currently with Charlotte, would be an interesting choice and raise some excitement in a upcoming season that figures to be a bridge to a spending spree in 2015. But don’t count on it. Ewing apparently doesn’t have the experience and hasn’t proven he can rebuild a team. He will have to wait and do it for some other team like Jackson did.