CSN Philly: Sixers Interested in Mike Malone

Now that Mike Brown is (thankfully) off the market, the Sixers can move on to more serious coaching candidates. According to Dei Lynam, the Sixers are interested in Warriors assistant Mike Malone, along with the previously mentioned Brian Shaw. Take it away, Dei:

According to sources, Golden State Warriors assistant coach Mike Malone is high on the Sixers' list to replace Collins as head coach, as is Indiana Pacers associate head coach Brian Shaw.

First, some background:

When the Sixers' search for Eddie Jordan's replacement took place in the spring of 2010, the list included Jeff Van Gundy, Dwane Casey, Tom Thibodeau, Monte Williams and Mark Jackson. On a list of dark horse candidates was Malone, then an assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers under Mike Brown.

Fast forward to 2013 and look where those past candidates are. Van Gundy has remained in the broadcast booth, where he likely will stay. Casey became head coach of the Toronto Raptors. Thibodeau, after 18 years as an assistant coach, landed with the Bulls. Williams is head coach of New Orleans, and Jackson jumped from the broadcast booth to the sideline as head coach of the Golden State Warriors.

Malone, 43, did not land a head-coaching job but did go with Williams to New Orleans, where he showed his defensive-minded talents, helping the Hornets finish fifth in fewest points allowed his lone season on that staff.

That Lynam makes the reference to the 2010 coaching search is a bit odd to me - the Sixers have different ownership in place and a different GM than they had three years ago. But it's not entirely surprising, considering that the other two reported candidates come from a similar background as the Dwane Caseys and Tom Thibodeaus of the world.

Anyway, Mike Malone is going to be a head coach somewhere in the near future, according to most reports. He's been in line for a head coaching position for at least a few years, if Dei's report about Malone being a darkhorse holds any water. And Dei mentioned that the Sixers stand to have competition to hiring Malone if he indeed becomes their top candidate. That the Sixers find themselves competing for top coaching prospects isn't surprising, but because so many positions are bound to open, we might not be able to hire guys like Malone and Shaw even if we wanted to, as more appealing jobs will likely open soon.

As of now, Malone currently is an assistant with the Warriors. To learn more about Malone's coaching, LB reached out to Nate Parham, from the awesome Warriors blog (and fellow SBN site) Golden State of Mind for some input on Mike Malone. Here's what Nate had to say:

You do not have my permission to poach Mike Malone. Period. Run along now.

But just to entertain your question, he's the perfect complement to Mark Jackson and I honestly think he's a major part of the Warriors' success this year: he's the more experienced x's and o's tactical guy to Jackson's charismatic former player leadership. I don't think you can easily quantify the value of an assistant coach, but given Jackson's lack of experience (this being his first full season) I'd have to think that Malone is a huge part of the team's success and not
easily replaceable.

One thing I am curious about is why he hasn't already gotten a job elsewhere: we were afraid of him getting a job elsewhere last offseason, particularly the Magic, and they filled the position with someone else. So I would want to know what they saw and do wonder if it's that he lacks some of the leadership qualities that Mark Jackson brings to the table.

You are, however, free to have Moses Malone as your next coach.

First off, I'm not sure Moses is qualified as a head coach, considering his lack of communication skills. But onto the subject at hand: Nate's obviously a big fan of Mike Malone, as are other people in the league. That he's an "x's-and-o's" guy works well for a rebuilding team, at least in my opinion, but that he's a defensive coach in the mold of everyone that's coached here since seemingly eternity, except for Eddie Jordan, who would technically be considered an offensive coach but who would be more aptly described as a specialist in incompetence, is a bit of a letdown to me. Considering the three rumored coaches are "defensive minds" that may be the Sixers' intention. I'm mostly in agreement with what Rich wrote about yesterday, that we should look for something different.

And as far as I can tell, he has no immediate relation to Andrew Bynum. Maybe the previous links were just a coincidence?