Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl
Mark Jackson’s leadership skills as a player more than outweighed his lack of coaching experience when it came time for the Golden State Warriors to hire their coach.
The Warriors hired Jackson to replace Keith Smart on Monday, giving the former point guard and television analyst his first chance to be a head coach on the game’s biggest stage.
Jackson’s deal is worth $6 million over three years with a team option for a fourth year, a source told ESPN The Magazine’s Ric Bucher.
“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,” owner Joe Lacob said in a statement. “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.”
Jackson played 17 years as a point guard in the NBA, for New York, the Clippers, Indiana, Denver, Toronto, Utah and Houston. He won Rookie of the Year honors in 1988 and made the playoffs 14 times. He ranks third on the NBA’s all-time assists list.
But he has never coached, spending the past few seasons as the lead analyst for ESPN and ABC for their NBA coverage. He won’t start his new job until after he’s finished calling the NBA Finals.
His first coaching job is a daunting one, taking over a team that has made the playoffs just once since 1994.
“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.
New Orleans Hornets assistant Michael Malone has agreed to serve as Jackson’s lead assistant, NBA coaching sources told ESPN.com’s Marc Stein, after the Warriors made what one source described as a “generous” offer to Malone.
With new Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike Brown trying to convince Malone to leave the Hornets for L.A., sources said Lacob offered terms Malone couldn’t refuse to spurn the Lakers.
“It’s a good night for everybody up there,” new Warriors consultant Jerry West told the San Jose Mercury News on Monday night. “They’ve got one person (Jackson) and they’re going to get the other person (Malone).”
The addition of Malone is a strong one as the Warriors look to build a strong staff of assistants around Jackson.
WRITTEN BY ESPN.com senior NBA writer Marc Stein and The Associated Press contributed to this report & FULL STORY HERE
