The NBA Finals begin tonight in Miami, and ESPN.. err… ESPN on ABC’s top crew of Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, and Mark Jackson will be there to call the action.  But, if the news coming out of the Bay Area is to be believed, it may be the last NBA Finals the trio announces together.  According to a CSN Bay Area report, Mark Jackson is a leading candidate in the head coaching search of the Golden State Warriors…

Mike Brown was considered a leading candidate, but then he took the Los Angeles Lakers head job. Dwane Casey, Lawrence Frank and Brian Shaw are now said to be on the Warriors’ short list.

Put Mark Jackson on that list, too. He appears to be a finalist.

Jackson — the former New York Knick, Indiana Pacer and current analyst for ESPN and ABC — is very much being considered for the Golden State job. In fact, Jackson has had two conversations with the Warriors, including one with owner Joe Lacob, according to NBA sources…

Jackson is considered an intriguing candidate in some circles. Despite having no head coaching experience, he is frequently mentioned when jobs come open, and he has expressed a desire to coach.

Jackson played 17 seasons in the NBA and ranks third on the all-time assists list. He was known for his court smarts, leadership and getting the most out of his ability. Jackson has a strong presence, but as a tactician and X-and-O guy — very little is known.

This is far from the first time that Mark Jackson has been mentioned as a head coaching candidate.  He was very close to the Knicks job before Donnie Walsh went with Mike D’Antoni at the last minute.  Mark Jackson’s name has also been mentioned with past openings in Minnesota, Indiana, New Orleans, and pretty much every other job opening in the NBA.  The analyst clearly wants to coach and it seems like it’s only a matter of time until Jackson is walking the sidelines instead of sitting in the broadcast booth.  Breen, JVG, and Jackson are the best current three man booth in sports and really did rescue ESPN’s NBA coverage after a few years of failed experiments (Al Michaels anyone?).  I wonder if he’ll still yell “momma there goes that man” as a coach though…

[CSN Bay Area]

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