Myers clarifies remarks about Jackson, Warriors

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Warriors general manager BobMyers knew right away that what he had said didnt quite come out right. Myerswas asked a couple of weeks back what he thought of the Warriors offseason andhow the team might fare heading into 2012-13.Myers answered by saying thathe thought the Warriors had upgraded their talent level considerably, and thathe shared as much with coach Mark Jackson in a phone conversation a couple ofdays before.Myers said he told JacksonYouve got something to work with, and that it was up to (the coachingstaff) to go forward with this group. Myers went further and said: I dontknow what your guys opinions are, but I dont think its unfair to ask to goforward and do well with this group of players.REWIND: Myers has one mandate for Mark Jackson
On the surface, what Myerssaid wasnt a big dealnothing more than a GM talking optimistically abouthis team in the offseason, and throwing in there that the coaching staff nowhad better players to deal with.But his comments blew up alittle bit, and many interpreted them to mean: If the Warriors dont make theplayoffs, Jackson will get fired.Of course, thats not exactlywhat Myers said. Then again, Myers knew that what he said didnt quite soundright when he read it in print. So, he picked up the phone again and calledJackson.Yeah, I know. I agree, saidMyers, when told that it sounded like he was putting pressure on Jackson withthe statement. I called Mark afterward. Were all under pressure. When Icalled Mark, it was more about the way I said what I said. It was like We allhave something to work with now. We feel like we have a roster we can workwith. I feel like we do; you feel like we do.(Jackson) didnt take it inthe context of: You better make the playoffs. I know that. I told him itsbeing reported in this light. He said: Ive got no problem with that. I understand. He also said: I want to win and the thinking is, give me a rosterwhere I have some accountability rather than having a roster where nobodythinks we can compete.Myers and Jackson ended uphaving a laugh over the subject, but it does hammer home one theme with theWarriors: Expectations are already high for the start of next season. Andthats the silver lining that Myers has found in this whole littlemini-misunderstandingcontroversy.Otherwise, whats thealternative going into the season? Myers asked. That nobody, the fans, themedia, ourselves thinks we can compete. Thats the alternative. This is the bigleagues. Theres pressure every day to win. But we feel, collectively, that weretooled the roster in a way where we feel we can compete for the playoffs.Thats the best way for me to say it, and I think Mark is aligned with that andfeels the same way.

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