New Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson will have plenty of input on the bench. The Warriors on Thursday hired five more assistants for Jackson, a former NBA point guard who has no coaching experience. Joining Michael Malone on the team’s staff will be Pete Myers, Wes Unseld Jr. and Jerry DeGregorio as assistant coaches and Darren Erman and Kris Weems as assistant of player development, the team announced Thursday. Myers, a former player, had worked for the Chicago Bulls the last 12 years, primarily as a scout. Unseld, the son of Hall of Famer Wes Unseld, had been with the Washington Wizards for 13 years.

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New Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson is really hammering home the new message for his basketball squad: Defense will rule the day. It’ll be a big turnaround for a team renowned for its offensive prowess, but Jackson seems committed to this approach.

“If you’re going to win at this level, you’ve got to do it on the denfesive end so we will be a team that takes tremendous pride in defending on one side of the basketball floor. We will rebound the basketball. We’ll make it an exciting game. It’s going to be a great brand of basketball.”

These are bold words. The Warriors were the worst rebounding team in the NBA last season and one of the five worst defensively efficient squads. David Lee and Andris Biedrins didn’t even hit double figures in rebounding. Not one Warrior managed two win shares or more. You’d figure a big change in personnel will be needed to get Golden State to where they need to be, because the team in place just won’t be enough to lock anyone down. Biedrins is undersized for a center and Lee might be one of the worst post defenders in NBA history. This is not the frontcourt that will produce an NBA top-caliber defense.

Do you think the Warriors can become a better defensive squad next season with the team in place? Or do they need to make moves? Let us know in the comments! Don’t forget to follow Golden State of Mind for more updates.

Despite this uncertainty, sources stressed that the team’s basketball operations, led by president Rod Thorn and general manager Ed Stefanski, would continue operating freely.

And the most pressing decision for the Sixers’ front office is the future of Iguodala.

Thorn said that he speaks with “15 to 20 teams” a week regarding trade possibilities and that nothing is imminent with the Warriors or any other team.

But according to multiple league sources, the deal between the Sixers and the Warriors is still alive and includes a swap of Iguodala (approximately $44 million remaining on his contract through 2013-14) for Ellis ($33 million remaining through 2013-14). The deal could be executed straight-up because Iguodala and Ellis’ contracts match the NBA’s trade parameters. As of late Tuesday, it was unclear whether the deal on the table included just those two players or whether one team or the other was hoping to expand the parameters.

If executed as a straight-up swap, the Sixers would be getting the scoring guard they need, while the Warriors would be getting a sizable perimeter defender to complement emerging point guard Stephen Curry.

During the 2010-11 season, Ellis averaged 24.1 points and 5.6 assists a game. Iguodala averaged 14.1 points, 6.3 assists, and 5.8 rebounds a game.

As first reported in The Inquirer two weeks ago, the Sixers have prioritized acquiring a scoring guard, and Ellis is on a short list of candidates.

Because both franchises are in a state of flux – the Warriors recently changed ownership and hired coach Mark Jackson this week – there seem to be additional hurdles surrounding this particular trade. Even so, sources have made it clear that the Warriors need resolution relatively quickly because trading Ellis would alter their strategy for the NBA draft.

Golden State holds the No. 11 pick in the draft, scheduled for June 23.

On Tuesday, Iguodala was at Syracuse University attending “Sportscaster U,” the broadcasting career development program organized by the NBA Players Association.

Iguodala said that he received a text message regarding news of the potential trade on Tuesday morning, but that “nothing is happening until it actually happens.”

“I’m not putting too much thought into it,” he said.

As for news of the franchise’s potential sale, Iguodala had caught wind of that as well.

“It’s another variable that is out of my control,” he said. “You never know what can happen when you have that option that’s being thrown out there. Because with new owners, they’re going to want change – and do they want to try to work with what they have or do they want to blow it up? So you never know.”

 

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Contact staff writer Kate Fagan at [email protected] or @DeepSixer 3 on Twitter. Read her blog, “Deep Sixer,” at http://go.philly.com/dsix

OAKLAND, Calif., June 7 (UPI) — New Golden State Warriors Coach Mark Jackson moved quickly to start putting his staff together, hiring Mike Malone away from New Orleans.

Jackson was named the team’s head coach Monday and before the night was over Malone had already agreed to become his lead assistant, a team source told the Oakland Tribune Tribune. Hornets Coach Monty Williams confirmed Malone was headed to Golden State, the newspaper said.

The team didn’t reveal the terms of the contract it reached with Jackson, an ABC broadcaster who spent 17 years in the NBA as a player.

Jackson, 46, played for New York (twice), the Los Angeles Clippers, Indiana (twice), Denver, Toronto, Utah and Houston. He ranks third on the NBA’s all-time assists list (10,334) and was an all-star in 1989.

“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,” Warriors General Manager Larry Riley said in a statement on the team’s Web site.”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.”

Jackson said he is “really elated” to become a coach and is “looking forward to the challenge of building the Warriors into a perennial contender.”

Jackson replaces Keith Smart, who led the Warriors for one year. Golden State hasn’t made the playoffs for four years.

The Tribune said Malone passed up a chance to become Los Angeles Lakers Coach Mike Brown’s top assistant.

Under Malone’s tutelage this season, the Hornets ranked fifth in the NBA in points allowed, improving from 102.7 points a game last season to 94.04 this season. He spent the previous five seasons with Cleveland.

Oakland, CA —

The Golden State Warriors have named Mark
Jackson, who played 17 seasons in the NBA and was working as a broadcaster,
their new head coach.

Jackson, 46, replaces Keith Smart, who was not retained after the Warriors
went 36-46 in his first season.

Golden State general manager Larry Riley said in a release that the club
viewed Jackson as the best option after an extensive search and a “great deal
of consideration.”

“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,”
Riley said. “We were looking for a coach with leadership ability and a strong
personality and believe Mark possesses those qualities.”

Jackson, who will assume his duties at the conclusion of the NBA Finals,
enjoyed a long and successful NBA career as a point guard. He guided his
team to the playoffs in 14 of his 17 seasons, and ranks third all-time in
assists (10,334) while averaging 8.0 for his career.

His hiring is the latest piece placed into the Warriors’ leadership puzzle.

In April, the club announced Riley would stay on as general manager and
executive vice president of basketball operations, while naming Bob Myers
assistant general manager and vice president of basketball operations.

NBA legend Jerry West joined the Warriors as a member of the team’s executive
board in May.

“I have sensed that [owner Joe Lacob] is committed to winning and building a
team and a culture the right way,” Jackson said in a release. “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.”

Jackson will take over a team flush with young talent. Guards Monta Ellis, 25,
and Stephen Curry, 23, were the Warriors’ leaders in points and assists last
season. Forwards David Lee and Dorell Wright — 28 and 25 years old,
respectively — were also significant contributors.

“I am really elated about this opportunity and I’m looking forward to the
challenge of building the Warriors into a perennial contender,” Jackson said.

Jackson averaged 9.6 points in 1,296 career games with seven teams. The New
York Knicks selected him 18th overall in the 1987 NBA Draft, and Jackson went
on to win rookie of the year honors. He was also named an All-Star in 1989.

Former New York Knicks All-Star guard
Mark Jackson was selected as the new coach of the Golden State
Warriors, his first coaching job at any level.

Jackson, 46, who has been part of ABC’s broadcast team for
the National Basketball Association Finals, played 17 seasons in
the NBA for seven teams and ranks third in career assists with
10,334.

“He epitomized leadership as a player in this league,”
Warriors owner Joe Lacob said in an e-mailed release. “We think
that characteristic — and many other positive traits — will
translate very well into his coaching duties with our young
team.”

Terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed by the team.

Jackson replaces Keith Smart, who wasn’t retained by the
Warriors after going 36-46 in his one season leading the club.

“I’m really elated about this opportunity and I’m looking
forward to the challenge of building the Warriors into a
perennial contender,” Jackson said in the team release.

A native of Brooklyn, New York, Jackson played at St.
John’s University with former Warriors General Manager Chris Mullin before being chosen as NBA Rookie of the Year in 1987-88
with the Knicks. He was an All-Star in 1988-89.

The Warriors, who have made the postseason once since 1994,
were bought by Lacob and Peter Guber for a record $450 million
in July 2010 from Chris Cohan.

On May 20, the team announced that Jerry West, who won
seven championships as a player and front-office executive for
the Los Angeles Lakers, had joined the Warriors as a board
member.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Rob Gloster in San Francisco at
[email protected]

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Michael Sillup at [email protected]

The Golden State Warriors recently brought in Jerry West as a consultant, and West’s comments seem to insinuate that the team is looking to deal Monta Ellis.

“I’ve seen teams trade players that score tons of points and people say, ‘How in the world can you trade that player?’ ” West said last week, according to Tim Kawakami. “Because he might score tons of points and the team doesn’t win.

“When I look at (the Warriors), obviously they need more size.”

Kawakami, who writes about the Warriors for the San Jose Mercury News, believes West has already begun exploring trade partners.

Ellis, 25, averaged 24.1 points per game for the Warriors last season, good for ninth in the NBA. But Ellis’ scoring ability and ball domination overlap with the skill-set of Warriors point guard Steph Curry, who’s younger, cheaper and a better distributor.

So, do the Magic have the assets to land Ellis?

The Warriors need size, as West said, because they don’t have much in the frontcourt past David Lee. And Kawakami speculated the Warriors will deal for a “tough wing,” perhaps suggesting the Warriors will look into trading for Philly’s Andre Iguodala, who also may be on the move.

In terms of size, neither Ryan Anderson nor Brandon Bass would benefit the Warriors beyond Lee’s talents at power forward. It’d be a reach to classify Hedo Turkoglu as a “tough wing,” and the Warriors wouldn’t be interested in his contract anyhow. J.J. Redick might hold some value, however, as he’d form a healthy yet defense-deficient backcourt alongside Curry.

The best deal the Magic could put together — and this is purely speculation — is something like J.J. Redick, Brandon Bass and a first-round pick for Ellis.

Assuming other teams covet Ellis, that’s probably not the best offer the Warriors would see, at least on paper. Chicago and Memphis — the two teams Kawakami linked to the Warriors in his column — could certainly offer more if they felt so inclined.

But there’s more to it than what’s on paper. Ellis’ quick shooting trigger and lack of past team success will scare some teams from pursuing him, and the Warriors’ perceived willingness to deal him may diminish his value.

His ability on offense would give the Magic they lacked last season: An aggressive, elite wing scorer. He’s not the most efficient offensive player in the league, but he’s certainly improved with age. I mentioned him last week in a column about who the Magic could potentially pursue.

Well, he’s out there now. Do the Magic have enough to get him?

[email protected]

Reading the tea leaves, the Mercury News speculates about what new team consultant Jerry West might advise the Warriors to do, and it’s no small deal: “It’s nothing personal. It’s just basketball business. And with [Jerry] West on board as management’s newest, sharpest voice, it seems likely that West already has begun to survey trade options for Ellis. ‘I’ve seen teams trade players that score tons of points and people say, ‘How in the world can you trade that player?’ West said last week. Because he might score tons of points and the team doesn’t win. When I look at (the Warriors), obviously they need more size.’ Of course, West was not definitively referring to Ellis when he spoke those words, and throughout the conversation he added that he admired Ellis’ toughness and inventive scoring ability. But if West is instantly the team’s most influential voice in personnel moves, which I believe he is, and if he’s going to make a major move, which everybody in the NBA expects … whom else but Ellis could he trade? This is part of the West methodology; since coming to the Warriors, he has emphasized the need to take risks, and my assumption is that co-owner Joe Lacob understands and embraces this. West also mentioned two unpopular trades in his Lakers past — when he dealt Norm Nixon for rookie Byron Scott and when he dumped Nick Van Exel to Denver. Both moves, by the way, involved trading away high-scoring, ball-dominating smaller guards to clear the way for more versatile, younger talent. The point of the Nixon deal: Handing the Lakers offense, once and for all, to Magic Johnson … The point of a potential Ellis trade: Handing the keys of the Warriors offense to Stephen Curry, and, if possible, adding larger players who can play defense around him. ‘I love to watch them play,’ West said of the Ellis-Curry combo. ‘They’re so much fun to watch play. But at the end of the day, you want to win. Monta Ellis, a fierce competitor. He competes his fanny off every night. Love to watch him play. But to me, size helps. Size helps.’”

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) —
Jerry West is like basketball royalty and the Golden State Warriors have just added him to their management team, but what will he do and how active will he be?

West is an NBA Icon. He is best known for his work with the Los Angeles Lakers as a player and general manager, but the 72-year-old now brings his expertise to Northern California with the Warriors.

“I will tell you, I’m no shrinking violet. OK, I’m not. If you don’t want my opinion, don’t ask. I love to win and there’s a way to win and there’s a way to build a team. I’m thrilled to be here,” said West.

“You know when you’re with someone and they’ve got that kind of enthusiasm, plus all of the intelligence and the experience to go along with it, that’s an incredible set of assets to bring to the table,” said Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob.

West will be on the Warriors board of directors and will not be a decision maker, but he will be involved and their first order of business, which is finding a head coach.

“There’s a right coach for the right team and the secret is to pick the right coach for the right team. And I think there’s some terrific candidates they have in mind,” said West.

“Larry Riley is the GM and will make the final call on basketball things, but I’m sure he’s going to take all those things into consideration, I’m going to be there and we’re going to do this as a group,” said Lacob.

Having a legend like West in your front office could lure some NBA players to the Bay Area who would have never considered Golden State as an option.

“I certainly wouldn’t sit here and deny that. I hope it would help, whether it be coaches, whether it be players, whether it be other executives on the team,” said Lacob.

We couldn’t let West go without asking if the backcourt of Monta Ellis and Steph Curry could lead this team to a title.

“I think we’ll see them grow together, but again, you would like more size and to me when I look at the team, I look at size and that to me would be up front,” said West.

For West, there’s only one bottom line.

“Ultimately, at the end of the day, winning is what should drive everyone in this organization,” said West.

(Copyright ©2011 KGO-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)