ESPN’s rumor mill linked to the story. The next day David Kahn said it was BS. I’m hoping it isn’t. Mark Jackson has been itching to coach for a long time and I’m sure he would be…great, yeah, just dandy, and how nice for a NYC guy…OK, I don’t care. But I’m hoping and praying for this as much as anyone—anything to get Jackson out of the broadcasting business.
I’ve read so much about the great television commentary chemistry between best buddies Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson, and nothing about the fact that Jackson is terrible. He’s just an awful commentator. The plodding monotone delivery might not so unbearable if he didn’t call games like he used to play defense: slowly, passively, telegraphing every movement, lacking the ability to change direction. He’s worse than Bill Walton, because at least Bill Walton sucks uniquely. Jackson makes only the most obvious comments, which normally have something to do with Kobe just being Kobe because that’s what Kobe does, because he’s a superstar, because he’s the best player in the world, just being Kobe, doing what he does. The ever-steady flow of platitudes is only occasionaly interupted by him saying you have to keep your hands up on defense. (That’s literally everything he knows about playing defense.) So here’s hoping Jackson knocks em dead in the interview. Make it happen, Mark.
2 responses so far ↓
1 HJ // Aug 13, 2009 at 3:02 am
Well I’m sure you know by now but he didn’t get the job, so sorry. But I’m glad he didn’t get the job. First I think he’s a bad commentator too (although complaing about bad sports commentating so overdone and tiresome, like sports spam) but I hate it when guys who have no business being coaches and GM’s only getting those jobs because they were a former player or famous former players (Jordan, Isiah) is a injustice and I hate it. If Mark Jackson wants to be a coach he should pay his dues, become a assistant, learn the trade and then get the head coaching gig. As for Mark Jackson the commentator, yeah he’s annoying but in a weird way I’ve almost gotten use to it and almost embraced it. Like “Mama there goes that man!” I cringed at first but I heard it so many times it kinda won me over, now its almost funny in a “its so bad” kinda way.
2 mmandlin // Aug 13, 2009 at 3:11 pm
Daryl Morey didn’t exactly come up through the ranks. I don’t care about the credentials (in the NBA at least) as long as a guy gets the job done.
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