HoopsHype.com Rumors

Adrian Wojnarowski: Charlotte will interview Golden State assistant Mike Malone on Tuesday for its head coaching job, league sources tell Y! Twitter

Charlotte Bobcats, Golden State Warriors, Coaching, Mike Malone 

Tim Kawakami: If you wonder whether GSWs might hire Malone, dump Jackson... that almost certainly won't happen. They picked MJax & they're happy w/him. Twitter

Charlotte Bobcats, Golden State Warriors, Coaching, Mark Jackson, Mike Malone 

If the Charlotte Bobcats head down that assistant-ready-to-be-a-head-coach route, here are two names worth considering: Golden State’s Mike Malone and Orlando’s Steve Clifford. Malone is a defensive specialist who is Mark Jackson’s lead assistant with the Warriors. Previously he worked for the New Orleans Hornets and Cleveland Cavaliers. He was a big part of Monty Williams’ improvement of the Hornets’ defense when they went 46-36 two seasons ago. Charlotte Observer

Charlotte Bobcats, Golden State Warriors, Orlando Magic, Coaching, Mike Malone, Steve Clifford 

If the Charlotte Bobcats head down that assistant-ready-to-be-a-head-coach route, here are two names worth considering: Golden State’s Mike Malone and Orlando’s Steve Clifford. Malone is a defensive specialist who is Mark Jackson’s lead assistant with the Warriors. Previously he worked for the New Orleans Hornets and Cleveland Cavaliers. He was a big part of Monty Williams’ improvement of the Hornets’ defense when they went 46-36 two seasons ago. Malone might be appealing enough that he could have multiple options to become an NBA head coach once all the jobs open this off-season. Charlotte Observer

Charlotte Bobcats, Golden State Warriors, Orlando Magic, Coaching, Mike Malone, Steve Clifford 

Marcus Thompson: Warriors GM Bob Myers said he likes the Mark Jackson/Michael Malone team but acknowledged the likelihood Malone could be hired away this offseason. "I think they’re a great complement for each other. I think they really help each other be better than they are individually. So I like how they’ve interacted. I think Mark’s learned a ton from Michael Malone. I think Mike Malone’s learned a ton from Mark. ... So I think its been a great team for this season." Sulia

Golden State Warriors, Coaching, Mark Jackson, Mike Malone, Bob Myers 

People around the league disagree on how much Malone is calling the shots, but they all agree on this: Malone, 41, is one of the best assistant coaches in the game and Jackson will be tested next season when Malone is likely gone. The Los Angeles Clippers, Washington Wizards, Orlando Magic and Portland Trail Blazers will need head coaches, to name a few teams, and one league source said "it's a lock" that Malone will have a head-coaching job next season. Orlando center Dwight Howard reportedly has told team officials that he wants Malone to be the Magic's next head coach. San Francisco Chronicle

Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Orlando Magic, Portland Trail Blazers, Washington Wizards, Coaching, Mike Malone 

"For all the talk about trading for (Andrew) Bogut, they're going to have a huge hole on the bench they need to fill," one league executive said. San Francisco Chronicle

Golden State Warriors, Coaching, Mike Malone 

"It's a very insecure profession, people get fired all the time, and you live out of a suitcase," Brendan Malone said. "I told him to get married and have kids, and if you want to travel all across the nation that badly, buy a Winnebago." Michael Malone almost took his dad's advice after his playing days were over at Loyola University in Baltimore. He wanted to become a Secret Service agent and was set to become a Michigan state trooper in 1995 to get the law-enforcement experience needed to pursue that career. But two weeks before Malone was set to start at the Trooper Academy, he got a call from Pete Gillen offering him an assistant's job on his staff at Providence. From there, he went to Virginia and then Manhattan College before the NBA called in 2001. "My dad could see then that I had a great passion for it," Malone said before the season. San Francisco Chronicle

Golden State Warriors, Coaching, Mike Malone 

Read a report over the weekend that asserted Howard wants to hire as well as fire. His top choices supposedly are Brian Shaw and Michael Malone, proving he’s at least up to speed on worthy candidates. This just in: Howard does not intend to grant Patrick Ewing an interview. Howard has little respect for the Magic assistant. Of course, you probably already deduced that, given he felt the need to work on his post moves last summer with Hakeem Olajuwon. New York Post

Orlando Magic, Coaching, Brian Shaw, Dwight Howard, Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon, Mike Malone 

Frank Isola: Former Knicks assistant Mike Malone, now working with Mark Jackson in Golden State, received most votes as the best assistant coach. Twitter

Golden State Warriors, Coaching, Mike Malone 

I had a chance to catch up with Warriors assistant coach Michael Malone on Thursday to ask him what he’s been doing during the lockout and how he’s viewing the upcoming season – whenever that may be. What struck me most was how emphatic he was about four things that will be stressed: Defense, rebounding, running with discipline and valuing the basketball. Here’s the transcript: Question: What have you been doing? Malone: You hear that question a lot with the current situation in the NBA, but for us as a new staff it’s a great opportunity to get ahead of the curve. Anytime you put together a new staff you have to have an offensive philosophy, a defensive philosophy, terminology. You have to have chemistry on your staff. CSNBayArea.com

Golden State Warriors, Coaching, Mark Jackson, Mike Malone 

Malone: It’s no secret. Mark said it in his press conference. We’re going to be a defensive team. The Golden State Warriors are going to defend every night. We’re going to rebound. We’re still going to look to run but run with discipline -- not just running and taking bad shots. The last thing is taking care of the basketball. If we can do those four things every night, we feel we’ll have a chance to be a successful team. But it starts with the defense, finishing off that possession with a rebound -- which they did a very poor job of last year – and then we still want to look to attack. There’s a common misperception that you cannot be a good defensive team and still be a good running team. We don’t want to take away from our guys’ creativity and their ability to get out and run. They do that very well here. CSNBayArea.com

Golden State Warriors, Coaching, Mark Jackson, Mike Malone 

Malone: With Mike Brown, and I always say this because I think it needs to be said, the luxury I had … I came into the league with Jeff Van Gundy, defensive coach. I worked for Mike Brown in Cleveland, defensive coach. I worked for Monty Williams, defensive coach. Even though I was in charge or overseeing the defense, most importantly the head coaches I worked for valued it just as much. Just as Mark does. The year we went to the Eastern Conference finals (in Cleveland) and won 66 games, I was the official defensive coordinator in Cleveland. But prior to that I was focusing on the defense and Mike Brown had me doing that. My last year in Cleveland I was the offensive coordinator. He gave me that switch because he didn’t want me to be pigeonholed as just a defensive guy. He said, ‘hey, show everybody that you can coach both sides and that will help you become a head coach one day.’ CSNBayArea.com

Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, New Orleans Hornets, Coaching, Mark Jackson, Monty Williams, Mike Brown, Jeff Van Gundy, Mike Malone 

New Warriors coach Mark Jackson and top assistant Mike Malone pretty much have their staff set. The new assistant coaches aren't expected to be officially announced until August, but Bay Area News Group confirmed Pete Myers, Wes Unseld Jr. and Darren Erman have agreed in principle to join the Warriors. Myers, a teammate of Jackson in New York, was an assistant for nine seasons in Chicago before working as a scout last year. Unseld Jr., the son of former NBA star Wes Unseld, spent 14 years in the Washington organization, and Erman worked for Boston the past four years. San Jose Mercury-News

Golden State Warriors, Coaching, Mark Jackson, Pete Myers, Mike Malone, Wes Unseld Jr, Darren Erman 

Malone, along with new head coach Mark Jackson, plans to bring that kind of discipline to the Warriors this season in an attempt to change decades of lackadaisical defense, backbiting and losing. "We're not just going to talk about defense. We're going to live it," Malone said. "I don't think defense has been taught there, because of the way they played - trying to outscore opponents. We're going to teach it, and, as we teach it, we're going to hold guys accountable." San Francisco Chronicle

Golden State Warriors, Coaching, Mark Jackson, Mike Malone 

As much as Monty Williams wanted to keep Mike Malone on his staff in New Orleans, there was nothing the Hornets could do to prevent Malone from moving on to be Mark Jackson's No. 1 assistant in Golden State. The Warriors tripled Malone's salary with a $750,000-per-year deal. Malone was also a top candidate to re-join Mike Brown on his new staff with Lakers. New York Daily News

Golden State Warriors, New Orleans Hornets, Coaching, Mike Malone 

New Orleans Hornets coach Monty Williams says current assistant Randy Ayers will be his lead assistant next season. Ayers fills a void created by Mike Malone's decision last week to join the staff of new Golden State coach Mark Jackson. ESPN.com

New Orleans Hornets, Coaching, Monty Williams, Mike Malone 

Tim Kawakami: Lacob said he definitely considered hiring Malone as W's head coach. Some interesting timing here. Twitter

Golden State Warriors, Coaching, Mark Jackson, Mike Malone 

Casey had an interview set up with Lacob for after the finals. Not any more, though. If you can’t get to the owner when he’s ready to pull the trigger, you can’t get the job. Multiple sources acknowledged that the timing of the Jackson hiring was sped up–if not created–by the Lakers’ interest in Malone to be Mike Brown’s top assistant. San Jose Mercury-News

Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Coaching, Mark Jackson, Mike Brown, Mike Malone 

The Warriors announced Tuesday that former New Orleans assistant coach Mike Malone will join new head coach Mark Jackson as the team's top assistant, meaning most of the key components on the bench and in the front office are set. The hirings of Jackson and Malone, both of whom will have three-year contracts, end a six-week search. Additions to the front office include the legendary Jerry West as a consultant and former agent Bob Myers as an assistant to general manager Larry Riley. "Wow," Warriors point guard Stephen Curry said via a text message, addressing the coaching hires. "I like it." San Jose Mercury-News

Golden State Warriors, Coaching, Mike Malone