Mama, there goes that man -- back to the ESPN broadcasting booth.
Mark Jackson was recently relieved of his duties as head coach of the Golden State Warriors, but he hasn’t remained unemployed for very long.
From Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press:Former Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson has agreed to a multiyear deal to rejoin ESPN’s lead NBA announcing team.
Jackson is scheduled to work the Eastern Conference finals and NBA Finals with Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy. They called the last of their five straight NBA Finals together in 2011. ESPN is making the announcement Saturday.
It’s more than likely that Jackson will be let out of this deal if a coaching opportunity should present itself, but it’s worth wondering if it might be a while before that happens. The reasons for the way things ended with the Warriors included poor relationships with assistant coaches, members of the front office and ownership, which could be a turn-off to future employers. That, along with the fact that Jackson was so quick to take a TV deal may indicate his awareness of the dry market for his services, at least in the immediate future.