TORONTO, June 2 -- Brendan Malone, a longtime NBA assistant with two NBA championship rings, was named Friday as the first head coach of the expansion Toronto Raptors. Malone's hiring was made official during a news conference in Toronto.
The Raptors begin play in the NBA next season. Malone had been an assistant coach with the Detroit Pistons since 1988, when he replaced Ron Rothstein on Chuck Daly's staff. He was part of the team that won back-to-back NBA titles in 1989 and 1990. The point guard on those teams was Isiah Thomas, who now is general manager of the Raptors. 'Having played under Brendan in Detroit, I knew firsthand that he is an excellent teacher of the game,' Thomas said. Malone was an assistant coach at Syracuse under Jim Boeheim from 1978 to 1984. He became head coach at Rhode Island before joining the New York Knicks staff in 1986, working under Hubie Brown. In addition to Malone, Thomas also interviewed Chicago Bulls assistant Jim Cleamons. Former Phoenix Suns assistant Lionel Hollins, who was let go Wednesday, also was believed to be a candidate. The Raptors become the first of the two new expansion teams to hire a coach. The Vancouver Grizzlies have yet to fill the position.
