Enjoy Mark Jackson calling the NBA Finals while you can people. “Action” Jackson is taking his talents to Oakland next season to coach the Golden State Warriors.

On Monday, even those looking at Belmont Stakes betting would have been interested in the fact that the Warriors hired Jackson, replacing Keith Smart on the bench.

How will he do? Hard to say because as those looking ahead to Belmont Stakes odds might not be aware, he has no experience other than watching and calling a lot of NBA games. Being one of the best point guards in history will help his case as well since that is clearly a leadership role of any team.

It will be Jackson’s first coaching job and it brings with it many challenges that he would not of experienced sitting next to many a commentator.

The deal is for three years and has an option for a fourth and will score Jackson roughly $6 million bucks.

To get the job, Jackson had to impress owner Joe Lacob, newly hired consultant Jerry West and general manager Larry Riley. I am sure Jerry West made Jackson sweat a little since he is the “logo” after all.

Jackson played 17 years as a point guard for the New York Knicks, L.A. Clippers, Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz and finally the Houston Rockets. It would almost be easier to list the teams he did not play for. Jackson won Rookie of the Year award in 1988 and made the playoffs 14 times. His real claim to fame is that he ranks third on the NBA’s all-time assists list.

But with all those teams, he has had many coaches to learn from, most notably Lenny Wilkens, Jerry Sloan, Pat Riley and Larry Brown. Those four make up a long list of wins.

This is not the first time Jackson has been up for a coaching spot. He interviewed for the opening in New Orleans last year and was a finalist for the Minnesota job in 2009. As it turns out, that would not of been a great situation to be in considering how bad the Timberwolves are.

The Warriors won’t be easy either as they missed the playoffs and have a lot of question marks going forward. Golden State did improve by 10 games under Smart but in a very talented Western Conference, it will take more than that to crack the top eight.

He does have Monta Ellis and Steph Curry to build around but the first thing on the docket will be taking care of the team’s lack of size up front.

Jackson officially becomes the coach of Golden State as soon as the NBA Finals are over.

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