Mark Jackson Firing Aftermath- The One Coaching Candidate the Warriors Want Right Now

Mark Jackson has been fired.  If you didn't check your Facebook or Twitter feed (70k+ tweets in the past hour since news hit), now you know.

The Warriors front office made this internal decision unanimously and QUICK.  The reason being is because they want to hire one candidate before he goes somewhere else.

That one candidate the Warriors want right now is..

 Current TNT analyst Steve Kerr.

Looking back at Joe Lacob's hiring tendencies to this date:

- Likes to hire guys who are new to their role.

- Bob Myers: no GM experience prior to joining the Warriors but loads of contacts and great reputation around the league during his agent days.

- Mark Jackson: No prior coaching experience at any level and former NBA player who has a great rapport with current players around the league.

Steve Kerr fits the Lacob mode perfectly.  Kerr is a former NBA player with prior relations with the Lacob family, new to coaching, and isn't a veteran coach who will undermine upper management.

Kerr's decision at this point are the Knicks or Warriors.  Phil Jackson or Joe Lacob.  Carmelo Anthony or Steph Curry.  The Knicks' aging roster with Anthony and JR Smith or the Warriors' talented future with Curry and Thompson.

It must have been a tough decision to move on from Mark Jackson.  The firing was necessary and quick, because management still has a chance to get the man they have been targeting for months.

The opportunity is here, and now its up to Kerr if he wants to coach this team.

Playoff Heartbreak and the Latest San Jose Sharks Letdown

Heartbreak happens all the time in the world of sports.  With any game, winning a playoff series usually takes team talent, player confidence, and a little bit of luck.  Unfortunately, the San Jose Sharks lost their confidence and luck wasn't on their side when the games mattered most.

Momentum is something that is overstated during games.  A missed shot here, a made shot there.  But when it comes to the playoffs, momentum is everything.  After winning the first three games of the series against the LA Kings, the Sharks had a chance to finish off Los Angeles in game 4.  After losing game 5, most fans knew in the back of their minds that the inevitable was coming.  

These kind of letdowns occur all the time to sports franchises, especially franchises who keep the same set of players during their prime.  It happens to certain star players during specific eras.  Joe Thornton and Dan Boyle have been the face of the franchise for the past 7 years.  Patrick Marleau for the past 15.  Years of disappointment, years of talent, and a lack of killer instinct have hurt this trio and their team's chances of moving forward.

In history, teams have been able to over-come devastating playoff defeats.  Often times, new players have to be put into place and a new culture and era have to be enforced.  

I understand the disappointment, the anger, and shock after game 7 last night.  But lets keep this series loss in perspective.  The Sharks haven't sniffed a Stanley Cup appearance for decades.  Titles are won with certain players and in certain eras.  This era will come and go and new faces will arrive.  

The Sharks will win a Stanley Cup title.  Management will acquire the right talent in place for another run.  

But for a city longing for a celebration down San Pedro square, San Jose will have to wait just a little bit longer.