Mark Jackson's name always seems to surface whenever there's talk of a coaching change with the Indiana Pacers. Assuming at some point in the next ten years (ten months?) Jim O'Brien is no longer coaching the Pacers, what would you think of Mark Jackson leading the Pacers once again, only this time from the bench?
For some reason, the thought doesn't excite me at this point, mainly because it would be his first coaching job. Also, even though they had plenty of success as coach and point guard, I never thought Larry Bird and Jax were a tight fit. They go about their business differently. Remember when Bird had Jax tone down the post-hoop shimmy celebrations? With two strong-headed personalities like Bird and Jax, they'd have to be on the same page all of the time, working together instead of against each other. I just see that as a potential risk.
The main issue I have with Jax, though, is that he doesn't feel he needs to work as an assistant and has instead has searched for coaching jobs from the announcing chair with ESPN/ABC. That may change soon. John Reid reports that Jackson may have a shot at the New Orleans Hornets' opening. With Chris Paulback healthy next year, the Hornets have enough talent to make Jax look real good if he can coach 'em up.
No doubt Jax would bring some juice to any team he leads along with plenty of notable quotes which is always nice. Maybe with a little success and experience he eventually becomes the perfect Pacers' coach once the team rises back into a playoff contender. Who knows, maybe Reggie Miller will be the GM at that point?
After the jump, a coulpe of other links about Danny Grangerprepping to workout with USA Basketball and Fred Hoiberg going home to coach.
Mike Wells reports on Danny Granger's altered offseason program this summer which will have him in Las Vegas to workout with the NBA's elite for USA Basketball. There's always the thought of injury or players wearing out with these summer programs, but I contend that (assuming a player is healthy) they'd be working out and playing ball anyway, so playing with the top players in the league only enhances the same work Granger would be putting in on his own.
Hopefully, Granger remains healthy and able to take full advantage of this opportunity. He's a proven top ten scorer in the league, yet we complain about his game and see areas where he can still grow. Immersing himself among other top players will help that growth along and hopefully allow his all-around game to flourish even more.
Finally, according to various reports, former Pacer Fred Hoiberg is set to return to his alma mater Iowa State has the head basketball coach. While he never played a ton in the NBA, he did play for 10 years before retiring due to a heart ailment. The Mayor should be well received back home where he'll try to pull a Mark Jackson and jump into his first coaching job in the lead chair.