Report: Michael Malone to be Head Coach Next Year…Somewhere

There are going to be plenty of coaching vacancies this summer—the Knicks and Blazers are currently employing interim head coaches, while the Clippers and Magic jobs just may be up for grabs—and according to a San Francisco Chronicle report, Golden State Warriors assistant Michael Malone is definitely getting one of them: “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 [Mark] 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. ‘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.”