Golden State Warriors Dump Assistant Coach Darren Erman
The Golden State Warriors slaughter the Sacramento Kings one day, and turn around and fire their assistant coach the next. But the decision to let Darren Erman go was based on a “violation of company policy.”
According to a report from The Associated Press, Warriors general manager Bob Meyers didn’t go into detail on what led to Erman’s termination, but he said it was “the type of decision that would be made across the board and irrespective of position within the organization.”
With only six games remaining in the regular season, Meyers called the decision to terminate Erman “unfortunate,” as the team looks to secure a spot in the playoffs, according Bay Area News Group‘s Diamond Leung.
Myers added that all employees of the Golden State Warriors, “whether in basketball operations or other aspects of the business,” are held at the same standard.
“We move forward and thank Darren for his contributions,” he said.
Erman is the second assistant coach the Golden State Warriors have fired in two weeks. The first, Brian Scalabrine, was reassigned to the Warriors NBA Development League affiliate in Santa Cruz, due to a “difference in philosophies,” as head coach Mark Jackson put it.
This was Erman’s third season with the Warriors after he spent four with the Boston Celtics. Erman also led the Warriors’ NBA Summer League to an undefeated season last year.
Despite the “tough” decision, Jackson said he is “pulling for [Erman] to make a comeback.”
“He’s done a lot for me, he’s done a lot for this organization, and I’m pulling for him to make a comeback,” he said. “I’m pulling for him to move on and become a great coach, and I believe that that can happen.”
After the firing of Erman and reassigning of Scalabrine, the Golden State Warriors are now down to three assistant coaches. But Jackson is confident that his team will succeed.
“This is not the norm,” he said. “That’s OK because really in both decisions, the right decisions were made. You move forward. To me, I think it’s a great time for us as a team and an organization.”
The Golden State Warriors are ranked sixth in the Western Conference with a record of 47-29 this season. The team is 1.5 games behind fifth-place Portland Trailblazers and 1.5 games ahead of seventh-place Dallas Mavericks. The Warriors will next host the Utah Jazz, who is currently in last place with a 24-52 record. NBA.com reports that the Jazz have lost 11 of 12 road games, and the Warriors have won 12 of their last 13 home games.
