National Basketball Association

Hornets bring in Malone to help coach defense

Published Jun. 30, 2010 9:31 p.m. ET

foxsports

When Monty Williams took his first head coaching job in New Orleans three weeks ago, he said one of his top priorities was to tighten up a defense that allowed nearly 103 points per game.

One of the first people he called on to help was former Cleveland Cavaliers lead defensive assistant Mike Malone.

``What they did in Cleveland speaks for itself,'' Williams said Wednesday after introducing Malone as one of three new assistants. ``For me to have him on the staff and not dig into that would be crazy. So yeah, I expect him to have a huge role in our defense.''

Malone, who nearly went into law enforcement instead of basketball, now has the most NBA coaching experience on what is currently a staff of four.

Williams also hired former San Antonio assistant James Borrego and former Sacramento assistant Bryan Gates, but noted he is still looking for his lead assistant. Borrego worked with the Spurs for seven seasons under Gregg Popovich. Gates is coming off his first year in the NBA as an assistant with Sacramento following a successful stint as head coach of the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League.

Malone, who got his first NBA job with the New York Knicks in 2001, has more experience than Williams, who after a decade-long playing career entered coaching as an intern in San Antonio in 2004.

When Malone joined the Knicks, Jeff Van Gundy was head coach and defensive specialist Tom Thibodeau was an assistant.

In 2005, Malone joined the Cavaliers and in 2008 was elevated by then-head coach Mike Brown to defensive coordinator. Cleveland was the only club to give up fewer than 92 points per game in the 2008-09 season and ranked second in opponents' field goal percentage (.431).

``Obviously we were a defensive team in Cleveland. Mike Brown, from Day One, we preached defense,'' Malone said. ``I could help Monty with that because that was our identity for five years. We won 66 games two years ago, 61 this past year, got to the finals our second year, because we defended at a high level, especially in the playoffs. That's where your defense has to be at its best. So I feel very comfortable and competent in my ability to coach defense.''

Malone has coaching pedigree - his father, Brendan, is a former NBA head coach and now an assistant with the Orlando Magic - but he nearly went into another line of work.

One year out of college, Malone was working as an unpaid volunteer assistant coach with Oakland University in Michigan while holding down two paying jobs, one at a Foot Locker and one cleaning an office building from midnight to 4 a.m.

Wondering whether coaching was right for him, he applied for the Secret Service and began the process of joining the Michigan state police. It was around that time that one of his father's friends and colleagues, Pete Gillen, offered Malone a spot on his staff at Providence.

Malone pounced on the opportunity, even though his father advised him against going into coaching.

``The whole time my father said, 'You don't want to become a coach. It's a tough profession. There's no security. It's tough to have a family,''' Malone recalled. ``He said, 'If you do become a coach, don't get married.' So I became a coach, I got married and he said, 'You don't listen to a word I say.' So he doesn't give me any more advice.''

Although Williams said he liked the fact that Malone was the son of a basketball coach, what really got his attention was seeing Malone working at arenas with players several hours before games. Williams did the same when he was an assistant with Portland, and when the Trail Blazers played Cleveland, Williams would wonder toward half court and the two would chat.

``I would always check to see the other assistants who were there early,'' Williams said, referring not only Malone, but also Borrego and Gates. ``All these guys are guys who'd be there early like that.''