Mark Jackson Wants to Coach

Though it's been rumored for a couple of years, today was the first actual article I've seen in a while concerning Mark Jackson's desire to be an NBA coach. The NBA's third all time assist leader interviewed for the Knicks position two years ago but hasn't really been a strong candidate for anyone else since. Since he retired a few years back he's been in the broadcast booth, working color for ABC.

I always kind of liked Jackson in his playing days and there is no question in my mind that he'll make a good coach...someday. My problem with this is the way he's going about it, which is the same way so many ex-athletes try to transition into the next phase of life. If you really want to be an NBA head coach, go get on a bench somewhere and actually get some coaching experience. You could argue that Jackson was a coach on the floor his entire career so he'll take to it naturally and I think there's a measure of merit to that. But there's a big difference between being a team leader and being the decision maker. You need some experience learning how to make the right calls night in and night out. Sure it would be a lot more fun to just step into the head coaching role than to pay your dues as an assistant but it doesn't work that way. Look what Adrian Dantley, AJ English, Patrick Ewing, and a host of other ex-players who want to be head coaches. They're all serving time as assistants or coaching in the D-league to not only pave the way for bigger jobs but to prepare themselves for the big time. A smart team isn't hiring a guy who has no coaching experience and do you really want to go to a team that isn't smart?