On top of the Golden State Warriors beating the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night, the highlight of the night was the return of the Mark Jackson to Oracle Arena. He received a warm welcome from the fans and the organization. They gave him a standing ovation for his efforts and Jackson deserved it.
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Most of his former players joined in and clapped for Jackson during the break, but not everyone was elated to see him. Andrew Bogut writes a column for NBA Australia and he explains the relationship he has with Jackson:
Over here, the media may not have picked up on the sarcasm. They think I really hate the guy, but that isn’t the case. Is he in my contact list? No. But that’s about as bad as it gets.
There’s no ill will between us, but as far as having a communicating relationship, we don’t have that like some of the other guys on the team do, which is not a problem whatsoever to me. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
I wish him all the best and look forward to more and more unique quotes in the future!
Bogut made some headlines after the Cavs game when he said he didn’t have a relationship with Jackson. He clears things up by saying he doesn’t hate Jackson and there is no ill will between the two. They simply aren’t close and don’t have the type of relationship where they have each other’s contact information.
Jackson has been critical of Bogut in the past and he made some comments about Bogut that could be interpreted negatively. Jackson mentioned the Warriors’ defense not needing Bogut to be effective, but Bogut took the high road and ignored the comments. However, Bogut expects more “unique quotes” in the future, which means he is definitely acknowledging what Jackson has to say.
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Bogut manifestly did not “ignore” Jackson’s quotes (and surely registered Jackson’s opinion that the Warriors’ defense was better without Bogut), though he also manifestly did take the “high road.” He responded to a query that he was not part of “the crowd” who was personally close to Jackson (presumably those who think that God takes a personal interest in their free throws), which as summarized above is simply no big deal. His tweet then needled back that some coaches value rim protection and others do not in response to Jackson’s saying this was “overrated,” and then added the zinger that some coaches also value ball movement and others do not, referencing, of course, the Dubs’ being last in same during MJ’s tenure. All in all, a most pithy response directly in the middle of the “high road.” Kudos to Andrew I say. He reminds me of George Karl in his candor with the media. Just plain refreshing.