Warriors name Mark Jackson head coach

June 6, 2011STEINMETZ ARCHIVEWARRIORS PAGEWARRIORS VIDEOMatt SteinmetzCSNBayArea.com

Warriors owner Joe Lacob continues to put his imprint on the Warriors in interesting and different ways.And that's what he did on Monday, announcing that Mark Jackson would be the next head coach of the Warriors. Jackson, who is an analyst for ABC and ESPN, has never been a coach at any level.
Jackson will take over the team at the conclusion of the NBA Finals.
We are tremendously excited about the addition of Mark Jackson as our new head coach, Lacob said in a statement. 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 were 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.
The Warriors reached out to approximately a dozen candidates after they decided in late April not to renew the contract of Keith Smart for the 2011-12 season.Of those candidates, only Jackson, San Antonio assistant coach Mike Budenholzer and possibly New Orleans assistant Mike Malone met with Lacob. The Warriors were said to be interested in former Cleveland coach Mike Brown early in the process, but Brown was named the Lakers' head coach.I am really elated about this opportunity and Im looking forward to the challenge of building the Warriors into a perennial contender, Jackson said. "... 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.
Jackson is the latest of an intriguing series of hires by Lacob, who officially assumed control of the Warriors from Chris Cohan in November. Before Lacob actually took over, he fired coach Don Nelson and replaced him with Smart, who had been an assistant.In mid-April, the Warriors hired long-time agent Bob Myers to become assistant general manager. On May 20, Lacob announced that he'd brought Jerry West aboard to become an a member of the team's executive board.The hiring of Jackson would seem like another intriguing type of move. Jackson played 17 seasons in the NBA, but then went to the broadcast booth rather than the sidelines as an assistant coach.The last coach to be hired without any experience was Vinny Del Negro, whom the Chicago Bulls hired in 2008. Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers had no coaching experience when he was hired by the Orlando Magic in 1999.Jackson is currently working as an analyst for ABC at the NBA Finals. The Warriors said they will introduce him later this week.