Golden State Warriors: Hiring Mike Malone As Assistant Reveals More Than We Think

Joe Lacob and his Golden State Warriors hired Mark Jackson as their head coach on Monday, and with it came mixed reactions.

Jackson has zero coaching experience and quickly made the jump from game commentary to coaching. However, he brings a new, young and noticeable face to the Golden State Warriors franchise.

Fact.

There had to be some kind of gimmick, right?

Certainly the Warriors would not hire an NBA commentator, with monotone catch phrases such as "Mama, there goes that man" and "hand down, man down," without something to help ease the pain to their extremely loyal fan base.

San Jose Sharks Free Agency: 5 Players Who Should Be On Their Radar

The San Jose Sharks' inability to get passed the Western Conference Finals, yet again, has some wondering whether or not GM Doug Wilson will decide to redesign this team for the future.

The Western Conference runner-ups will have to deal with a flurry of 23 free agents on their current team this summer.

No, these free agents will not affect the core of the Sharks, but it will alter both the depth of San Jose and which direction they wish to take the defense.

NBA Mock Draft: Who Will the Golden State Warriors Take At No. 11?

Now the draft process can officially begin for the Golden State Warriors. They have named their next head coach, a solid assistant coach and hired a basketball legend as an adviser to the team.

Things are looking up in Golden State.

As for the business at the 11th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft on June 23, the available options are nothing to write home about.

The upcoming draft is already being written down as a four-man draft with a boatload of players from Europe. How those players from Europe will do in the NBA will be discovered in the next few years.

Mark Jackson Brings A New Face To the Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors named Mark Jackson their next head coach on Monday evening. After many possible candidates, it was decided that Jackson would get his first shot at coaching an NBA team in Golden State.

"After an extensive search and a great deal of consideration, we have come to the conclusion that Mark Jackson is the best coach for this team," Warriors general manager Larry Riley said. "He will bring a youthful and fresh approach to our team and the fact that he enjoyed a stellar playing career, where he served most of that time as the leader of some very successful teams, will prove invaluable in the long run."

He pretty much summed it up, I'd say.

Golden State Warriors: Mike Budenholzer and the Top 5 Coaching Candidates Remaining

It seems as though the Golden State Warriors are in no rush to hire the next head coach of their new and improved franchise. Owner Joe Lacob has come forward and said that the NBA Draft date of June 23 is not the deadline for a new coach, although that seems to be the deadline for every other team without a current leader.

The soap opera that is the Warriors' coaching job took another twist this last week when Gregg Popovich's 14-year assistant in San Antonio, Mike Budenholzer, was interviewed by Lacob for the Golden State position.

To date, only two candidates have been interviewed by Lacob, which is supposed to mean something. Those two candidates are ESPN talking head Mark Jackson and Spurs assistant coach Budenholzer, who are perceived to be the two front-runners for the job.

2011 NBA Draft: 5 Players Outside the Top 10 That Will Have an Impact

When you think about the NBA Draft, one of the first things you think about is potential. What kind of a talent will this player be in three years?

Unfortunately, this draft is not stocked with superstar-type talent. What you will find are players that specialize in a certain part of the game that will benefit a team a couple years down the road.

For this list, we are focusing on players just like that.

We are focusing on those under the radar players, outside of the top 10 picks, that will be fully contributing in one way or another in the coming years.

San Jose Sharks: Reasons To Part Ways With Todd McLellan

No, San Jose Sharks coach Todd McLellan will not be fired this offseason. Not after a year in which the team went from being potentially out of the playoffs to almost having the best record in the Western Conference.

McLellan dealt with the loss of key players in the offseason, as well as injuries during the season. For all the Sharks' coach had to put up with, the season seemed to be a success, for the most part.

However, McLellan is a year or two away from being thrown into the "coaches that just couldn't do enough" pile.

Golden State Warriors: Jerry West Implies Monta Ellis Trade Is Imminent

When the Golden State Warriors hired Jerry West as an adviser to the team, did they think he would be advising that their best player be traded?

West's quote in Tim Kawakami's column in the San Jose Mercury News this past Wednesday did just that.

“I’ve seen teams trade players that score tons of points and people say, ‘How in the world can you trade that player?’ ” West said last week. “Because he might score tons of points and the team doesn’t win."

“When I look at (the Warriors), obviously they need more size.”

2011 NBA Draft: Options For the Golden State Warriors At #11

With just over three weeks remaining until the 2011 NBA Draft, there have been several shifts in recent mock drafts around the country. For the first time in a long time, there is no set order in how teams will be picking come June 23.

What we do know is that this draft is one of the weakest in many years.

Many seem to agree that this draft could be all but finished after the first two picks, and some have even stretched that to four.

San Jose Sharks: 3 Ways the Culture in San Jose MUST Change

Another year, another late round exit for the San Jose Sharks. The team from the South Bay came up short in the playoffs yet again, falling to the Vancouver Canucks in the Western Conference Finals. This coming after a 2010 that ended in much the same way, when the Sharks were swept by the Chicago Blackhawks.

Many teams would be happy with back-to-back Conference Finals, but it is all too familiar for the people of San Jose, who continue to see their team play tremendous hockey during the regular season, only to come up short in the playoffs.

2011 San Francisco Giants: Can Team Recover From Loss of Buster Posey?

San Francisco Giants fans' worst fears came true on May 25 when catcher Buster Posey was injured in a home plate collision with Florida Marlins outfielder Scott Cousins.

Posey broke a bone in his lower left leg and is out for the season after surgery on Sunday repaired three torn ligaments in his ankle.

The Giants have said that they are optimistic for his return on Opening Day 2012.

The "Collision Heard 'Round the World" has received equal part criticism of Cousins, and equal part freak accident.

NHL Finals 2011: 5 Biggest Storylines Of the Finals

The Boston Bruins will match up with the Vancouver Canucks in the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals on Wednesday.

The Canucks won the President's Trophy this season, as well as stormed through the Western Conference playoffs, showing that they were undoubtedly the best team in hockey for a reason.

The Bruins, on the other hand, shocked some by making the NHL Finals as the third seed in the Eastern Conference. They knocked off the Montreal Canadians, Philadelphia Flyers and Tampa Bay Lightning on their way to the Finals.

NHL Free Agency 2011: Where Will the Top 12 Forwards Play Next Year?

On July 1, all hell will break loose in the hockey world. It marks the first day of open free agency in the NHL with several big names looking for new homes, and too many teams looking to sign them.

The 2011 NHL free agency is dominated by defense and goaltending this year. Names like Tomas Vokoun, Ilya Bryzgalov and Tomas Kaberle will be coveted by numerous teams, either looking to get their team over the hump or into contention.

But this year's free agency may be dominated by a payer that is not a goaltender or a defenseman.

Brad Richards will most certainly be on the move, and teams will be throwing all they have at the crown

San Jose Sharks: The Western Conference Finals Is Not Enough

It took an awkward bounce off the boards, and not a single Sharks player to know where the puck was, for the San Jose Sharks to be eliminated from the 2011 NHL Playoffs on Tuesday night.

The Vancouver Canucks were the dominant team. In fact, the Canucks are probably the best team left in these playoffs, and you may not hear an argument from anyone refuting that. They have speed, defense, goaltending and chemistry, and the Sharks were just trying to keep up.

San Jose was knocked out by the best team in hockey.

Golden State Warriors: Is Jerry West Really That Big Of A Deal?

Jerry West not only knows basketball, being one of he greatest NBA players of all-time, but he knows the corporate side of basketball, as well. West was responsible for igniting the Los Angeles Lakers' three-peat from 2000-02, by acquiring players like Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, as well as hiring Phil Jackson as head coach.

West's new challenge is to do with the Golden State Warriors what he did with the Lakers, and somewhat with the Memphis Grizzlies.

West was pursued by Warriors' owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, and they hired him this past week as an adviser to the Warriors' executive board.

Golden State Warriors: Mike Brown and the Best Coaching Fits in Golden State

For once, the Golden State Warriors are one of the bigger stories in the NBA these days. Sure, they cannot compete with the NBA Playoffs, but the recent flurry of coaching candidates that have been interviewed with the team and the news of Jerry West joining the front office has the Warriors being a hot commodity these days.

Warriors owner Joe Lacob is making all the right moves.

One thing is for sure, Lacob wants a big name as head coach of the Warriors next season. For too many years, the Warriors have been swept under the rug because of less than high-profile coaching and players.

San Francisco 49ers: 5 Bold Predictions For the 2011 Season

The 2010-11 NFL Season was franchise-changing for the San Francisco 49ers. The 0-5 start to the season was the first step, and losers in six of their first seven games was the next step, causing them to ultimately fall out of the terrible NFC West division race.

It took until Week 16 for the 49ers to finally yank the cord on Mike Singletary's tenure as head coach, which has led to a total team makeover in Santa Clara, CA.

The 2011 NFL offseason has sprung recent hope into the hearts of 49er fans.

NHL Playoffs: San Jose Sharks Dismantled in Game 2 As the Western Conference Final Heads to the Shark Tank

The Vancouver Canucks dismantled the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night, 7-3, in an ugly loss for the Sharks at Rogers Arena.

Unsportsmanlike penalties and overall bad play for the majority of the game has the Sharks heading to San Jose dazed and confused, as they look to overcome a 2-0 series deficit.

Not sure how a team can come back from a game like that, though. It was an utter and complete meltdown from the Sharks, in which some

2011 NBA Draft Lottery: Initial Reactions For the Golden State Warriors

The Cleveland Cavaliers turned a draft pick acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers in the Baron Davis trade into the #1 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft on Tuesday. The Cavaliers' pick had a 2.8% chance of winning the NBA Lottery, and it did just that by beating out the Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz.

The Golden State Warriors' role in the NBA Lottery was a bit insignificant, if you will.

No, they were not expected to win the NBA Lottery with their .7% chance, but viewers tune in to see their team move up a few spots from where they

San Francisco Giants: Buster Posey Will Be Changing Positions Sooner or Later

An article written for ESPN caught my attention this past week. The article was by David Schoenfield entitled "Mauer Position Change Becoming Inevitable."

Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins is batting .235 with 4 RBI's in just nine games this season. He has been hampered by a knee injury that has kept him on the DL since April 15, after being rushed back from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee during the offseason.

There is no current timetable for his return.

In the article, Schoenfield points that while Mauer's value at catcher may be high, his value

San Jose Sharks' Game 7 Win Slays Many Demons

In what will go down as one of the greatest wins in San Jose Sharks’ history, the Sharks avoided just that and advanced to the Western Conference Finals on Thursday night.

Vindication.

There were sweat and tears in this series, and that was just from the fans sitting at home in front of their televisions. Thursday’s Game 7 epitomized what this series was all about, what the Sharks/Red Wings rivalry is all about and what hockey is all about.

The Sharks avoided what could have been an epic collapse that would have gone down in history, after being up 3-0 in the series, only to see the Red Wings battle back and win three straight

Golden State Warriors Need To Throw the House At Andrew Bynum

Andrew Bynum is available for trade, or at least we think he is after a "bush league" foul on the Dallas Mavericks' J.J. Barea, paired with speculation that Dwight Howard may be heading west to Los Angeles has sent the NBA media's minds wandering.

Bynum's departure from Game 4 of the Lakers/Mavericks series seemed almost Lebron James-esque. James left his last game as a Cleveland Cavalier in much the same way Bynum did, with their shirts off as if to say "I'm done with this."

Whether Bynum meant to evoke that image or not, we will not know. But it is the Howard heading to L.A. speculation that may play the biggest role in whether or not Bynum is a Laker next season.