Mark Jackson To Be Named Golden State Warriors Head Coach

A grown man move?  The Golden State Warriors have hired current ABC-NBA analyst Mark Jackson to be their next head coach. 

Jackson's thoughts from an official Warriors' press release:

"I am really elated about this opportunity and I’m looking forward to the challenge of building the Warriors into a perennial contender," said Jackson. "I cannot tell you how impressed I was with the organization during our meetings, beginning at the top with Joe Lacob and, of course, with Larry Riley, Bob Myers and Jerry West. I have sensed that Joe is committed to winning and building a team and a culture the right way. I think we all witnessed that with some of the recent front office additions as well and some of the other positive things that have been done in recent months. This is an incredible opportunity and I am honored and thank God that I have been chosen to be the next coach of the Warriors. The Bay Area has always had some of the best fans in the NBA and I look forward to being a part of that incredible atmosphere at Oracle Arena, along with my wife, my kids and my church family, who are thrilled as well."

Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob on the hiring:

"We are tremendously excited about the addition of Mark Jackson as our new head coach," said Warriors’ Owner Joe Lacob. "He epitomized leadership as a player in this league for 17 seasons and we think that characteristic – and many other positive traits – will translate very well into his coaching duties with our young team. He was a leader and a winner both on and off the floor in this league and we’re convinced that he is the right person to guide this team into the future and help us achieve the success that we are striving for as an organization."

And Warriors General Manager Larry Riley:

"After an extensive search and a great deal of consideration, we have come to the conclusion that Mark Jackson is the best coach for this team," said Warriors’ General Manager Larry Riley. "He will bring a youthful and fresh approach to our team and the fact that he enjoyed a stellar playing career, where he served most of that time as the leader of some very successful teams, will prove invaluable in the long run. We were looking for a coach with leadership ability and a strong personality and believe Mark possesses those qualities. He’s very well respected in NBA circles, is a consummate professional and his knowledge and background will be an incredible asset for our team and organization."

The former NBA point guard has no prior coaching experience.  But he becomes the 24th head coach in Golden State Warriors history.  He will officially assume his duties at the conclusion of the NBA Finals.  The Warriors will formally introduce Jackson later this week.

With only three weeks left before the NBA Draft, the Golden State Warriors are still without a a head coach. But according to CSN Bay Area’s Matt Steinmetz, majority owner Joe Lacob is making sure to do his due diligence as he will reportedly meet with New Orleans Hornets assistant Mike Malone sometime next week.

Of the slew of possible replacements for Keith Smart that have swirled around the rumor mill, the only other candidates aside from Malone to have met with Lacob at this point are ESPN analyst Mark Jackson and San Antonio Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer. There currently are head coach openings in Toronto and Indiana, and could have more in Detroit and Minnesota, so the window of opportunity to get their guy is whittling away for the W’s.

Malone is the son of longtime NBA coach Brendan Malone, and went to the playoffs five years in a row when he was an assistant to Mike Brown for the Cavaliers. He’s a defensive minded guy who would be a good fit for the Warriors moving forward.

But for now, we’ll just continue to wait.

For more discussion and analysis of the Warriors head over to our W’s blog, Golden State of Mind, to get in on the action.

The Warriors short list is apparently getting shorter.

According to CSNbayarea.com’s Matt Steinmetz current ESPN NBA Analyst Mark Jackson has emerged as a ‘finalist’ for the Golden State Warriors’ head coaching position.

Along with Mavericks assistant Dwane Casey, Lakers assistant Brian Shaw, and Celtics assistant Lawrence Frank, Jackson is a part of the last group of serious contenders to take over as signal caller, though the W’s have remained rather allusive about the whole process.

Majority owner Joe Lacob has stated his looking with a candidate with previous head coaching experience, but according to Steinmetz, Jackson is the only candidate to have spoken to him personally during this process.

Jackson has had two conversations with the Warriors, including one with owner Joe Lacob…that is significant because Lacob was not in on the Warriors’ first set of discussions with candidates. It is unknown whether Shaw, Casey or Frank has met or talked to Lacob up to this point.

Although he hasn’t any NBA coaching experience, Jackson could be a good fit for Golden State with his defensive mindset and background as a player, offensive knowledge at the guard position that could help Monta and Steph, likable personality with the players and fans, and overall energy and passion for the game that I think could really help out the W’s.

Should be an interesting few weeks for Warriors fans as the team comes to it’s final decision.

For more discussion and analysis of the Warriors head over to our W’s blog, Golden State of Mind, to get in on the action.

Add current ESPN analyst Mark Jackson to the list of coaching candidates for the Golden State Warriors.  From Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports:

Golden State recently interviewed Mark Jackson for its coaching job, a league source tells Y! Sports.

Jackson has no NBA coaching experience, but that hasn't stopped him from pursuing opportunities in recent years.  Via a 2010 FanHouse article by Brett Polakolff:

I think it depends on who's doing the hiring," Jackson said. "I think you've got great examples of it, just like any other hire. And then you have examples where it didn't work. Doc Rivers was hired with no experience, and he's as good as it gets as coaching goes.

The former NBA point guard been considered for several head coaching jobs before, including the New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks and New Orleans Hornets.  Last year, the Philadelphia 76ers wanted to interview Jackson for their opening before they hired Doug Collins, but Jackson reportedly was not interested.

CSN Bay Area’s Matt Steinmentz is reporting that former Minnesota Timberwolves coach and general manager Kevin McHale is amongst possible candidates for the Golden State Warriors’ head coach position.

McHale recently has been doing work as an analyst for TNT’s NBA coverage, but would like to make a return to the sideline soon. McHale was in the T’wolves front office from 1994-2007, taking over as head coach on an interim basis in 1995. He took over as head coach in 2008, and was later released of all his duties with Minnesota in 2009.

McHale has a great eye for talent as he was part of the move the T’Wolves made to draft Kevin Garnett in 1995. He wasn’t the most successful head coach, but to his credit the T’Wovles didn’t have much talent to work with while he was head coach after the departure of Garnett to Boston. Nevertheless, his basketball knowledge on and off the floor is off the charts, and could help the Warriors right the ship to becoming a playoff contender every season.

Stay with SB Nation Bay Area for complete coverage of the Warriors head coach search.

As the search for the Golden State Warriors new head coach continues, the list of possible candidates continues to grow. CBS Sports’ Ken Berger reports that New Orleans Hornets assistant Michael Malone has been added to the list of possible head coaches for the W’s, and upon further inspection, may be a great fit in Oakland.

Malone, son of long time NBA coach Brendan Malone, is rooted in the Jeff Van Gundy tree and is very much a defensive guru a la Tom Thibodeau, who also learned under Van Gundy. He’s coached a team to the playoffs seven times, five of them under Mike Brown with the Cleveland Cavaliers as their lead defensive and offensive coach. His tenure in Cleveland saw a playoff berth every season he was there, and never had a opposing PPG for a season worse than 10th in the NBA (first in 2008-09 at 91.4 PPG).

Being somewhat of an under the radar assistant, Malone could make the Warriors braintrust look extremely savvy if he is hired because Malone undoubtedly knows his stuff, especially on defense. The W’s wouldn’t have to break the bank to bring in a big name when they could get a guy with a tremendous amount of talent and experience who’s ready for a head coaching position.

The Warriors are looking to make a splash with their next head coach, and didn’t exactly succeed with the promoted-assistant route with Smart. but Malone is the type of guy that brings stability and leadership to a group of players in need of a clear direction, something that Smart did not do.

Stay with SB Nation Bay Area for complete coverage of the Warriors head coaching search.

As the 2011 NBA draft quickly approaches and the end of the regular season right around the corner, the Golden State Warriors are in the process of speeding up their search for a new head coach.

Majority owner Joe Lacob is coming back from an international trip to be at the NBA Draft Lottery tomorrow in Seacaucus, NJ, then likely will be full speed ahead along with General Manager Larry Riley and newly appointed assistant GM Bob Myers in the hunt for a new head coach. According to CSNBayArea.com’s Matt Steinmetz, ‘here’s what we know so far:’

—The Warriors have asked for permission to talk to Dallas assistant Dwane Casey and Lakers assistants Brian Shaw and Chuck Person.

—The Warriors also have reached out to former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown.

—According to SI.com, Golden State officials met with Brown and Casey last week.

—The Warriors contacted former Jazz coach Jerry Sloan and former Knicks and Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy, but both declined interviews. According to sources, Sloan indicated to the Warriors he is not likely to return to coaching and Van Gundy told the Warriors he wasn’t looking to get back into coaching at this time because of family matters.

—The Warriors had interest in San Antonio assistant coach Mike Budenholzer, but Budenholzer indicated at the end of the Spurs’ playoff series that while he wanted to be a head coach some day, the time was not now. There is a belief among some around the league that Budenholzer is likely to replace Gregg Popovich when he eventually steps down.

Despite Ric Bucher’s report that Mike Brown is the likely candidate or front runner at this point, it really seems that it is up in the air as the list of candidates grows and the time to hire a coach shortens. Every possible choice brings their own pros and cons to the table for the W’s, and it’s up to the team’s braintrust as to who will bring the right identity to the team.

Stay with SB Nation Bay Area for updates on the Warriors head coaching search as the story unfolds.

All signs point to Mike Brown being the Golden State Warriors next head coach, ESPN's Ric Bucher reported today in his weekly Friday chat.

Lakers assistant coaches Chuck Person and Brian Shaw "are serious about getting the job and will be interviewed. But all signs point to Mike Brown being the Warriors next head coach," Bucher wrote in response to a question from one of his readers.

Brown was the 2008-09 NBA Coach of the Year andcoached the Cleveland Cavaliers to 272-138 record over the course of five seasons, but was let go prior to last season and became an analyst for ESPN.

Brown's resume looks pretty solid, but it must say something that he was able to get a LeBron James led team to the NBA Finals just once in five seasons and reached the Eastern Conference Finals just one other season despite advancing to the NBA Playoffs each year as head coach.

Prior to his job with the Cavs, Brown's only NBA head coaching experience, the 41-year-old was an assistant with the Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs.

Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com reported today that the Golden State Warriors are seemingly moving their timetable forward of hiring a new coach due to the high number of head coach vacancies in the NBA right now.

Along with the Warriors, the Lakers, Rockets, and Pacers, have head coaching spots to fill, and there is certainly a possiblity that places like Toronto and Detroit might have openings as well. With so many spots open and only so many people to fill them, the Warriors are trying to get a coach they like before someone else does first.

The W’s have reportedly had or will have meetings with Lakers assistant Brian Shaw, former Cavaliers coach Mike Brown, and current Mavericks assistant Dwayne Casey. They also were looking at big name coaches like Jerry Sloan and Jeff Van Gundy. As to how interested they are in coming back to the sideline is unknown, but those seem more like shots in the dark than actually leads.

Steinmetz points out that Shaw will likely draw the attention of the Pacers as he has a relationship with GM Larry Bird during their playing days in Boston. He also notes that Houston has seemingly chopped their shopping list to just 3 men: Dwayne Casey, former T-Wolves coach Kevin McHale, and current Boston assistant Lawrence Frank.

From Steinmetz:

As you can see, some of the same candidates are in the mix for different positions. In other words, maybe there is a sense of urgency — not just for the Warriors but for any team with a vacancy. Teams might want to identify their man quickly and go after him decisively. After all, if they don’t, some other team probably will.

If the braintrust for Golden State wants to make a big splash, they likely are going to to have swoop in and make a deal that is more appealing to a coach than other teams. It seems that these head coaches in waiting will be hot commodities this summer, ripe for the taking by the highest bidder.