Skip to main content

Warriors' Jermaine O'Neal feels like "our coach won't be our coach next year"

Jermaine O'Neal missed two month's of the season after having surgery on his wrist. (Rocky Widner/National Basketball/Getty Images)

Jermaine O'Neal missed two month's of the season after having surgery on his wrist. (Rocky Widner/National Basketball/Getty Images)

Golden State Warriors center Jermaine O'Neal said the team feels as though embattled coach Mark Jackson will be out of the organization after this season, regardless of the team's results, according to Sam Amick of USA Today.

Jackson has had multiple run ins with assistant coaches, and it has been reported that he is at odds with members of the Warriors front office. O'Neal said the situation the team is ready to play even if the situation is unfixable.

"You get the feel that no matter what happens, our coach won't be our coach next year," Warriors center Jermaine O'Neal said after the win. "You just get that feel. But we are willing to give all we've got for this group, for that coach, and hopefully whatever that will and whatever we've given is good enough to take us as far as we should go."

The 17-year NBA veteran is listed as questionable for Sunday's Game 7 with a bone bruise on his right knee cap, according to Arash Markazi of ESPN Los Angeles.

O'Neal hurt his knee during the Warriors Game 6 win on Thursday night and there was some concern that an MRI would show ligament damage. The center told Ric Bucher of BleacherReport.com that it would take "God returning for the Rapture" to prevent him from playing in the series final game.

The back-up big man played in each of the first six games for Golden State, averaging 7.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in 13.5 minutes-per-game.

SI WIRE: Grizzlies' Zach Randolph suspended for Game 7 for punching Thunder's Steven Adams