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Mark Jackson On Radio Show: Somebody Else Is Going To Get My Baby

OAKLAND (CBS SF) - Former Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson appeared on the syndicated Dan Patrick Show on Wednesday to discuss his firing, which has been met with overwhelmingly negative response by fans and many pundits.

The Warriors cut Jackson loose Tuesday after three largely-successful seasons as head coach, despite a 51 win season this year and the first back-to-back playoff appearances in two decades.

"I had a lot invested," Jackson said. "The unfortunate thing is the pregnancy happened, the baby was carried for nine months or for three years, they watched the labor pains and being in the hospital and somebody else is going sit there and be able to grab the head of the baby when it's born."

Rumors of a conflict between Jackson and team management have been swirling for months. "It was a tough, draining year," he said on the program. He recapped his meeting with Warriors owner Joe Lacob, which ended in his termination.

"I'll tell you the truth," he told Patrick. "At the end of the day, we both walked into the meeting and we both were frustrated…I'm not sure if the best thing for me, going into that office, my mind was made up whether I was going or staying. So it wasn't a one-way decision."

Mark Jackson on the Dan Patrick Show (Full Interview) 05/07/2014 by Dan Patrick Show on YouTube

Jackson also talked about the turnover in staff near the end of the year – two assistants were removed - which fueled speculation about discord on the team.

"Things had to change," Jackson said. "It's unfortunate, but there's a reason that what happened with my two guys happened."

Jackson said he didn't always know how to "dance with the business folks," but stopped short of fanning the flames of the tensions with ownership that led to his ouster, but did voice some disappointment with how the situation was handled.

Jackson continued. "I go into a meeting to discuss the job opportunity and, before I come out, it's been tweeted that I'm in a meeting and that I'm being fired. That's not how you do business."

Jackson said he had not yet been contacted about the vacant New York Knicks job. He was a fan favorite for the team in the late 1980s and early 2000s.

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