Mark Jackson Hired As Golden State Warriors' Head Coach

Just a few days ago, Mike Malone, a New Orleans Hornets assistant, was among the top candidates for the vacant head coach job of the Golden State Warriors. Now he works for the Warriors, but in a lesser role: the team announced Tuesday Malone has agreed to become an assistant under new coach Mark Jackson, who was hired on Monday.

Malone was considered likely to join Mike Brown's high-profile staff with the Lakers -- Malone coached under Brown in Cleveland -- but Warriors management convinced Malone to serve under Jackson, a first-time coach. Malone was Monty Williams' top assistant in New Orleans this past season; Williams had extensive assistant coach experience, but was in his first go in the bench's first (and hottest) seat.

How the Warriors will fill the other spots on Jackson's bench remains to be seen. The Warriors have a young talent base and the No. 11 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.

Mark Jackson has been hired as the new head coach of the Golden State Warriors, and ace San Jose Mercury News columnist Tim Kawakami has a fascinating interview with Warriors consultant Jerry West on the decision. In the interview, West says that Jackson, who has no head coaching experience at any level, really connected with new Warriors owner Joe Lacob in his interview.

Mark is not a BS-er. I think you can challenge him. Just a helluva face of the franchise. To me it’s Joe putting his imprint on this brand. And I think he’ll continue to be aggressive and try to do what’s best for the franchise.

Nice to see a person who wants to be involved, get to the person he wants.

West tells Kawakami that he also interviewed Jackson, and was impressed. West claims hiring Jackson isn't a risk, and that in their interview, the former Knicks and Pacers point guard said that Celtics coach Doc Rivers told him he learned more in production meetings as a TV analyst than he would as an assistant.

For more on Jackson and the Warriors, visit Golden State Of Mind and SB Nation Bay Area.

Mark Jackson will be the next coach of the Golden State Warriors, according to multiple reports. Jackson has never coach in the NBA or college; he followed his long, solid NBA playing career, where he was a point guard for the New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers and several other teams, by moving to the broadcast booth. He worked New Jersey Nets games on the YES Network with Marv Albert for four years, and also served as a part of ESPN and ABC's flagship broadcast crew as a color commentator.

In fact, Jackson is currently working the NBA Finals for ABC.

Moves from the booth to the sidelines aren't rare; top TNT analyst Doug Collins left the booth last year to take the Philadelphia 76ers' job, and Turner studio analyst Kevin McHale last week agreed to become the head coach of the Houston Rockets. Even Mike Brown, new coach of the L.A. Lakers, spent his year off of the sidelines in an ESPN studio role.

But Jackson's move, in that he didn't go from coaching to the booth and back, is different. Is it a new precedent in the NBA, or is Jackson just a special candidate who impressed the Warriors' braintrust? We'll see.

For more on the Warriors, visit Golden State Of Mind and SB Nation Bay Area.

Mark Jackson has been named the new head coach of the Golden State Warriors, ESPN's Marc Stein reported Monday night. Though Jackson has been rumored in connection with the vacant New York Knicks coaching job in 2008, he's never held a NBA coaching position. Or any other coaching position, for that matter. Mama, there goes that franchise! 

Before becoming an ABC and ESPN analyst, Jackson played point guard for the Knicks, Indiana Pacers and five other teams. He was named the 1987-88 NBA Rookie of the Year after being selected in the first round out of St. Johns. Jackson had been rumored to be in consideration for the Warriors spot, along with Mike Malone, Mike Budenholzer and others.

Jackson will take over for Keith Smart, who took over for Don Nelson just before the 2010-11 season and went 36-46.

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Mike Malone, an assistant coach with the New Orleans Hornets, will reportedly interview with Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob for that team's open head coach job, reports Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Broadcaster Mark Jackson and San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Mike Budenholzer have already met with Lacob, according to Sam Amick of SI.com.

Malone is also under consideration for an assistant job with the Los Angeles Lakers under Mike Brown. Prior to coaching under Monty Williams in New Orleans, Malone served as a key assistant under Brown with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He ran Brown's defense for several years, and took over offensive duties in 2009-10 after the departure of offensive coordinator John Kuester. (Kuester could be considered for an assistant job with the Lakers, as well, if the Detroit Pistons let him go in the coming days or weeks.)

Jackson, currently working the NBA Finals with eternal candidate Jeff Van Gundy, has no coaching experience at any level, but nonetheless seems to interest Lacob, who recently added legend Jerry West to the Warriors' front office.

For more on the Warriors' coaching search, visit Golden State Of Mind and SB Nation Bay Area.

The Golden State Warriors reached out to Jerry Sloan and Jeff Van Gundy about the team's open head coach job, but each declined an invitation to interview for the job, reports Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com. Steinmetz cites sources who said Van Gundy, who has been out of the league for four years, was intrigued by the Warriors' job but wants to remain as an TV analyst instead of a head coach for the time being. Sloan, who in February retired after more than two decades at the helm of the Utah Jazz, is likely to remain out of the league.

The Warriors fired Keith Smart after one season; he was hired in 2010 before new owner Joe Lacob officially took control, and it was unfeasible for the franchise to wait until the transfer of ownership was complete to making a decision on a coach. Smart apparently failed to impress Lacob in the Warriors' 36-46 season.

Mike Brown and Dwane Casey were the first two candidates interviewed by the Warriors, reports ESPN's Marc Stein. Casey is the lead assistant for Rick Carlisle of the Dallas Mavericks; Brown was fired by the Cleveland Cavaliers a year ago.

For more on the Warriors, visit Golden State Of Mind and SB Nation Bay Area.

Former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown and current Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Dwane Casey will interview for the open Golden State Warriors head coach job, reports Marc Stein of ESPN. Warriors coach Keith Smart was let go after a 36-win season in Golden State.

Casey is also a finalist for the Houston Rockets job. There are now three open jobs, as Phil Jackson retired after the Los Angeles Lakers were swept out of the NBA Playoffs. Brown was reportedly considered for the Rockets opening, but Houston has settled on a trio of finalists made up of Casey, Kevin McHale and Lawrence Frank. Casey spent 1-1/2 seasons as the head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves, and many feel was unfairly dismissed by McHale.

Stein also reports that the Warriors could be interested in Frank (currently an assistant with the Boston Celtics), Jeff Van Gundy and retired Jerry Sloan. It's unclear how the new Lakers opening will impact the two other vacancies; Brian Shaw, for example, is an eternal candidate for open jobs, but is seen as the heir apparent in L.A. The Indiana Pacers could also soon have an opening if Frank Vogel is not retained.

For more on the Warriors, visit Golden State Of Mind and SB Nation Bay Area.

The Golden State Warriors are interested in bringing Jerry Sloan out of retirement to take over the job vacated by the firing of Keith Smart, reports Marcus Thompson III of the Contra Costa Times. Sloan resigned from the Utah Jazz in February after 22 years on the job, just weeks before the Jazz traded superstar point guard Deron Williams and began a rebuilding era.

Sloan, 69, has said he's not interested in returning to the NBA, but reports have suggested he could be persuaded to make another run with a new team. Sloan's Jazz run was stunningly long by NBA standards; the Warriors, for example, had 11 different head coaches over Sloan's tenure in Utah.

This rumor, however, seems wholly unlikely, and, given the presence of Monta Ellis on the Golden State roster, completely laughable. Reports have indicated Warriors owner Joe Lacob would seek a young, rising coach if Smart were replaced. Lacob announced on Wednesday that the Warriors would not retain Smart, who served as a Golden State assistant for seven years before taking over the head coach spot last summer.

Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob confirmed Wednesday that Keith Smart has been fired as head coach after one season on the job and eight with the franchise, following a report from Matt Steinmetz of CSN Bay Area. The Warriors had a team option for 2011-12 for Smart, with the coach due some salary either way. Lacob, who officially took over the franchise from Chris Cohan after Smart had been hired to replace Don Nelson, decided to look for a new coach after Smart led the Warriors to a 36-46 record.

"[W]e came to the conclusion that a change was necessary at this particular time," said Lacob in a statement. "I think Keith did an admirable job this season and he should be commended for many of the positive things that transpired both on and off the floor. The team showed improvement and their effort was never in question. However, we've elected to pursue a new path and we wish Keith the very best."

Under Smart, the Warriors improved by 10 wins over Nelson's 2009-10 26-56 campaign. Golden State added David Lee and Dorell Wright in free agency before the 2010-11 season, as well.

Keith Smart is the latest Golden State Warriors head coach to be fired after a relatively short tenure; Smart lasted just one season in the hot seat before new owner Joe Lacob dismissed him, as reported Wednesday. While Smart is the first Warriors' head coach to last just one full season since Bob Feerick in 1963, the short tenure is nothing new for the franchise.

Just one coach in the last 27 years has lasted more than three seasons as Golden State's head coach: Don Nelson, who had a six-year stint in the late 1980s and early 1990s and a four-year stint in the 2000s. The other eight head coaches -- not including interim, midseason replacements -- hired since Al Attles' exit in 1984 have lasted no more than three seasons each. Those names include George Karl and Rick Adelman, two Hall-of-Fame level coaches.

Attles coached the team for 13 seasons, and led the Warriors to the 1975 NBA Championship. That Lacob will be able to find the Warriors' next Attles in his first attempt seems like a longshot.

For more on the Warriors' coaching search, visit Golden State Of Mind and SB Nation Bay Area.