| | Associated Press
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Stu Jackson, who guided the
Vancouver Grizzlies through their turbulent first five NBA seasons,
resigned Tuesday as president and general manager.
His departure came a day before new owner Michael Heisley was
expected to announce his firing and one day after coach Lionel
Hollins was fired.
Jackson, the first person hired by the Grizzlies when they began operations in 1994, left to become senior vice-president of basketball operations with the NBA office in New York.
"Today is very bittersweet for me," said Jackson, 44. "I look
back and I feel very good about the five years here. We have
garnered the emotions of our fans for this team."
Hollins, also an original member of the organization, was told of his dismissal when telephoned at his Phoenix home by Dick Versace.
Versace, a former NBA coach and broadcaster, is expected to
become president of basketball operations; Billy Knight, the
Indiana Pacers vice-president of basketball operations, the new
general manager, and Tony Barone the director of player personnel.
Hiring a coach could take longer. One of the leading candidates,
Indiana assistant Rick Carlisle, is still involved in the playoffs.
He also could be considered for the Pacers job when Larry Bird
leaves after the season.
Jackson's job had been in jeopardy since Heisley purchased the
Grizzlies from Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment for $160 million.
Noted for his sometimes acid tongue when dealing with the media, Jackson struggled to carve a basketball niche in Vancouver's hockey market. His ability to attract free agents was hobbled by the view some hold that Vancouver is a basketball backwater, where the team loses and the players pay huge Canadian taxes.
During Jackson's tenure, the Grizzlies won less than a third of
the 300 games they played. He also had a 6-33 record as a coach
after firing Brian Winters near the end of the 1996-97 season.
"I would have liked to have a few more wins at this point,"
Jackson said. "I don't think there's anybody who doesn't believe
that in the next year or two we would have done better."
Jackson is credited with drafting small forward Shareef
Abdur-Rahim and point guard Mike Bibby while adding shooting guard
Mike Dickerson in a trade with Houston.
He's been criticized for signing underachieving center Bryant
Reeves to a $64 million contract, drafting guard Antonio Daniels,
and taking guard Steve Francis in last year's draft even though he made it clear he didn't want to play in Vancouver.
"You can go back and identify different events that you would
have done differently," Jackson said. "At the time decisions were
made, we made the best decisions that were available. To go back
and second-guess I don't think is necessarily fruitful."
Hollins' firing was expected but the manner in which it was conducted angered some, including Aaron Goodwin, Abdur-Rahim's agent.
Abdur-Rahim said during the season he would seek a trade if
Hollins and Jackson were replaced.
Goodwin said Tuesday that Abdur-Rahim will "look at what
Vancouver is doing and go from there."
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