fb-pixelNotes: Golden State Warriors fire Mark Jackson - The Boston Globe Skip to main content
NBA notebook

Notes: Golden State Warriors fire Mark Jackson

Warriors star Stephen Curry was among the players who lobbied for the return of coach Mark Jackson (right), who was fired by Golden State on Tuesday.Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Mark Jackson came to the Golden State Warriors talking big and brash. He promised playoff appearances and championships trophies, and he delivered plenty of wins along the way. Away from the court, though, Jackson never backed down from doing things how he wanted. His inability to mesh with management ultimately cost him his job.

The Warriors fired Jackson after three seasons Tuesday, ending the franchise’s most successful coaching tenure in the past two decades.

General manager Bob Myers thanked Jackson, saying he helped make the Warriors a more attractive franchise. But Myers said the decision to dismiss Jackson was ‘‘unanimous’’ among the team’s executives, in part because the Warriors want a coach who can ‘‘develop a synergy’’ with everybody in basketball operations.

Advertisement



‘‘You’re never sure of anything. But I do know that we have a lot of conviction in the decisions we make,’’ Myers said. ‘‘We wouldn’t have made this decision if we didn’t believe it didn’t help the organization move forward.’’

Jackson guaranteed Golden State would make the playoffs in his first season, then finished 23-36 after the labor lockout. The Warriors went 47-35 last season and had a memorable run to the second round of the playoffs, and they were 51-31 this season before losing in seven games to the Clippers in the first round.

The Warriors had not made the playoffs in consecutive years since 1991-92. They had made the postseason once in 17 years before Jackson arrived.

Durant captures MVP award

Kevin Durant has plenty of scoring titles. Now, he finally has an MVP trophy to go with them.

The Thunder star won the NBA’s top individual honor, grabbing 119 first-place votes. Miami’s LeBron James, who had won the last two MVP awards and four of the previous five, finished second with six first-place votes, and Blake Griffin of the Clippers was third.

Advertisement



‘‘Everything in my life, I had to take it,’’ Durant said. ‘‘They’re not going to give it to you out of sympathy. I wouldn’t want it any other way. This was another case, if I wanted to win the MVP, I had to go take it. I felt that this was the year I did that.’’

Clippers president on leave

Clippers president Andy Roeser is taking an indefinite leave of absence while the NBA restructures the franchise in the wake of owner Donald Sterling’s lifetime ban. Roeser’s immediate departure was announced by the NBA, which last week said it would appoint a CEO to oversee the franchise in Sterling’s absence . . . 76ers guard and league Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams underwent surgery in New York to repair the labrum of his right shoulder . . . The Raptors made Dwane Casey’s return official, announcing a three-year contract extension for the coach whose team won a franchise-best 48 games this season and ended a six-year playoff drought. Toronto lost to Brooklyn in Game 7 of the first round Sunday.