Brian Scalabrine’s role as a member of Mark Jackson’s coaching staff for the Golden State Warriors last season didn’t exactly go well. Jackson removed Scalarbine from the bench in the middle of the year and cited philosophical differences as the reason.
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Scalabrine, now a broadcaster, recently spoke on the matter to ibabuzz.com and criticized the former Warriors head man.
"“Mark gave me a great opportunity to be on the bench, and then when I got there, I think to win in this league you have to drive and push, and I feel like the players will respond to that,” Scalabrine said. “And I think that was the biggest thing about this disappointment in our staff as a staff, right? We could have done more, and we didn’t, and I think he kind of sensed that.“At the end of the day, to say it was a difference of philosophy, a difference of opinion, I mean, that’s really what it was. And I’m so used to seeing like a Doc Rivers and a Tom Thibodeau (his former coaches), and it kind of threw me for like kind of a loop and a surprise that it was not as hard-pressing as I thought it was going to be.”"
The Warriors coaching staff was dysfunctional to say the least last year, so it’s not surprising to see the White Mamba speak out against Jackson. Scalarbine’s comments help shed light on why some of the many problems between assistant coaches and Jackson took place.
Scalabrine spent 11 years as a player in the NBA, winning an NBA title with the Boston Celtics in 2007.