From the PD:
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Jarrett Jack endorsed by Golden State coach Mark Jackson
Mary Schmitt Boyer, The Plain Dealer
on July 23, 2013 at 4:04 PM
LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- It's not as if new Cavaliers guard Jarrett Jack needs a job reference, but if he did, Golden State coach Mark Jackson is willing to provide one.
Asked his reaction to losing Jack to free agency, Jackson said, "It was torture because he's an incredible, incredible…forget about basketball. He's a great leader, loves the game, no nonsense. He had a great year for us. For me, he was a joy to coach, an absolute joy to coach, and I'll have a relationship with him for the rest of our lives.''
Jackson was here watching his Warriors beat the Phoenix Suns, 91-77, to win the inaugural NBA Summer League tournament championship on Monday night at UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center. He coached Jack last year as the Warriors advanced to Western Conference semifinals. According to Jackson, that success was due in large part to the contributions of Jack.
"He's going to help the culture,'' Jackson said. "He's going to help Mike Brown just as much as he helps Kyrie Irving. The things that he does to protect the locker room, to protect the team, to make sure that you're doing things the right way…he's just incredible. It was the best money that the Cavs could have ever spent.''
The Cavs signed Jack to a four-year deal that could be worth $25.2 million, $19.4 million guaranteed. He is expected to split time with Irving and Dion Waiters in the backcourt, including playing the point and allowing Irving to slide over to the two-guard. The two have already started working together as Jack attended some of the workouts Irving organized in Las Vegas before the start of the USA Basketball minicamp this week.
Golden State's Harrison Barnes, a good friend of Irving's, knows Jack will help the Cavs.
"He was instrumental in me getting going and getting comfortable out there,'' said Barnes, who took in Monday's game and will be working out at the USA Basketball minicamp the rest of the week. "He was always positive and encouraging. Off the court, he was a good guy to hang out with. I think he'll help a lot. Jarrett is the ultimate professional, goes about his work very seriously. I think he'll get the most out of his guys.''
Like the Cavs, the Warriors made a number of changes to their team this offseason. The biggest move was bringing in free agent Andre Iguodala, part of the reason they couldn't afford to keep Jack.
Jackson didn't really say how much he lobbied to keep Jack, but it was clear how much he will miss him.
"It worked out extremely well for Jack…another win for the good guys,'' Jackson said. "That's what it's all about. At the end of the day, it was a blessing to have the opportunity to coach him, even for a short period. He made me better not just as a basketball coach but as a man.''
