Warriors' Coach Getting More Creative
By: Rich Walcoff
There's little chance the Warriors will make a magical 49ers-like turnaround this season, but Mark Jackson's leadership style compares favorably with another star player turned rookie coach: Jim Harbaugh. San Francisco's playoff roster included a dozen rookies plus a handful of free agents as Harbaugh proved true to his word of building a team based on merit, not reputation.
Last night, Jackson, tired of watching Golden State blow 4th quarter leads in three straight games, benched starters Andris Biedrins and Dorrell Wright down the stretch in favor of reserves Epke Udoh and Brandon Rush who responded by helping to finish off the Trailblazers, 101-93. Udoh smothered Portland's likely All Star forward Lamarcus Aldridge while Rush showed poise and toughness at both ends of the floor.
"I don't owe minutes to anyone", said Jackson, who calls himself a "flow coach." Trusting his instincts over the stat sheet, Jackson also played rarely used center Jeremy Tyler, who responded with five points in seven minutes. The 20-year-old rookie has been playing well in practice, and Jackson said, "It was a great time for me to reward him. It was good for him to get a taste of real basketball."
Jackson even busted out his mini-trio backcourt of Stephen Curry, Monta Ellis and Nate Robinson. Before losing veteran center Kwame Brown for the season with a torn pectoral muscle and Curry for sixteen days with yet another ankle sprain, Golden State was one of the league's surprise success stories with victories over the mighty Heat, Bulls and Clippers.
But now that the Warriors are mired in 14th place in the 16-team Western Conference, look for Jackson to be ever more creative and enterprising in hopes of resurrecting his team's prospects. The lockout may have shortened the NBA season, but Golden State's proud and determined coach is in it for the long haul.