Many players—most current, some former—around the league were taken aback by the firing; some expressing their surprise and frustration on Twitter.
That’s wild — Ekpe Udoh (@EkpeUdoh) May 6, 2014
It’s a cold business were in! — Isaiah Thomas (@Isaiah_Thomas2) May 6, 2014
Wow — Jeff Green (@unclejeffgreen) May 6, 2014
Wow Mark Jackson got fired.. I would love to play for him! — Peyton Siva Jr (@PeypeySiva3) May 6, 2014
Mark Jackson is arguably the best coach that organization has seen in 18 years and you fire him? I don’t get it? — Carl Landry (@CarlLandry) May 6, 2014
Got a lot of love for Coach Jackson because of the way he treated @BRush_25 after his injury. He will bounce back soon. @MarkJackson13 — William Bazzle (@williebeaman75) May 6, 2014
Big fan of coach Mark Jackson sure he’ll be back in no time ! — thomas robinson (@Trobinson0) May 6, 2014
Great season @MarkJackson13, you will bounce right back. UNBELIEVABLE — Bobby Jackson (@TheBobbyJackson) May 6, 2014
Warriors loss will be somebody’s gain, grass isn’t always greener… As he has always done, MJ will let his faith guide him.. — Reggie Miller (@ReggieMillerTNT) May 6, 2014
Media reaction seems to be split between those who sympathize with Jackson and those who feel the Warriors would be better served under a new coaching regime. Others have expressed their growing concern for how the players, especially the team’s All-Star duo of Steph Curry and David Lee—each of whom have publicly voiced their support for Coach Jackson.
It will be very interesting to see how Stephen Curry responds to Mark Jackson’s firing. Curry loved Jackson and wanted him back. — Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) May 6, 2014
Point being, it’s never only about results. And NBA owners are a capricious lot. — Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) May 6, 2014
The “we’re moving in a different direction” is the “it’s not you, it’s me” of management breakups. — Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) May 6, 2014
Always strange seeing coaches with winning records sent to the unemployment line. You never really know what’s going on behind the scenes. — Sekou Smith (@SekouSmithNBA) May 6, 2014
Reports: Fred Hoiberg, Steve Kerr and Stan Van Gundy interest Warriors as Mark Jackson replacements http://t.co/bM2nFvRSLv — Kurt Helin (@basketballtalk) May 5, 2014
The Warriors have already contacted Steve Kerr, according to a league source. Knicks have not reached out to Mark Jackson.
— Frank Isola (@FisolaNYDN) May 6, 2014
It will be interesting to see how the NBA coaching carousel plays out as we get deeper into the postseason. How many jobs will Steve Kerr be considered for? Will any more vacancies open up? And, when all is said and done, where will Jackson be? Will he take up residence on another team’s bench, or will he go back to ESPN to bolster their NBA coverage?
There are still eight teams playing for the championship and, yet, the NBA’s offseason already has a lot of intrigue.
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Michael Brumagin writes the Tweet of the Day for SheridanHoops.com and is also a correspondent for BleacherReport.com. Follow @mbrumagin
Michael Jackson is without a doubt the king. Anytime i listen to his tracks i feel like he is still alive. Surely one of the best pop music stars ever!