The Sacramento Kings’ extensive head coaching search may lead them to former Golden State Warriors head honcho Mark Jackson.
It may also lead them to more than a dozen other candidates, because they’ve been linked to everyone under the sun. But certain prospects will be eliminated from consideration as the search progresses. That’s just how it works. And Jackson, it seems, has survived the first wave of rumors, per Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee:
Also, former Warriors coach Mark Jackson is still in the mix in Sacramento, I'm told. Will interview for the job, too.
— Jason Jones (@mr_jasonjones) April 28, 2016
Installing Jackson to replace the fired George Karl would be…weird.
Many of his players in Golden State would have followed him into hell back in the day, but he has become such a polarizing figure for certain critiques he’s made as an ESPN NBA analyst and for the circumstances under which he left the Warriors.
And the last thing the Kings need is a controversial locker room presence prone to rocking the boat. They haven’t won more than 33 games in a single season since drafting DeMarcus Cousins. They are, voluntarily, caught in the space between rebuilding and competing, where they’re compelled to gun for a low-end playoff berth but always end up with a low-end lottery pick instead.
Is Jackson really the guy to carry this Kings squad out of ruin? Can he reach Cousins on a level no other coach in the NBA, with the exception of Denver Nuggets head honcho Mike Malone, has to date? And will he allow youngsters, like Willie Cauley-Stein, the freedom to develop, through trial and error and extensive playing time?
Hiring Mark Jackson comes with too many questions. And the Kings, quite clearly, don’t need more questions.
They need answers.
