Report: Warriors’ Malone, Pacers’ Shaw interview with Bobcats

UPDATE 8:52 pm: You can add another of the elite assistant coaches to the Bobcats list — Brian Shaw of the Indiana Pacers. So reports Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated, however that interview may take a while.

According to a source with knowledge of the situation, permission was neither granted nor denied for Shaw to speak with Charlotte because he prefers to focus on the playoffs at the moment. The Pacers, who finished third in the Eastern Conference at 42-24 this season with second-year head coach Frank Vogel and Shaw at the helm, are currently up 3-1 on the Magic in their first-round matchup.

Shaw is best remembered as a former NBA player and lead assistant to Phil Jackson — he was the guy Kobe Bryant wanted to get the Lakers job after Phil Jackson. He is a guy who players love, who has a good offensive mind and has experience beyond just the triangle offense. He would be a good hire as well.

3:16 pm: Mike Malone has been one of the hottest names among NBA assistant coaches for years — his experience is why Golden State made him the highest paid NBA assistant coach at $750,000 to come in and be on the bench with the inexperienced Mark Jackson last year (and he reportedly turned down being a Lakers assistant to take the Warriors money).

But it’s very possible his time to move to the big seat will come this summer. And maybe with the Bobcats, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo.

Golden State Warriors assistant Mike Malone is scheduled to interview for the Charlotte Bobcats head-coaching vacancy on Tuesday, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. Malone will meet with Bobcats president of basketball operations Rod Higgins and general manager Rich Cho.

This would be a good hire for Charlotte.

First, Malone a defense first coach and the Bobcats need that. (They need offense, too, but one step at a time.) He was the lead defensive assistant in New Orleans and Cleveland when they locked teams down. Secondly, reports are that players respect and will play for him. Finally, he will take what is not going to be a high-paying or highly coveted job — for your first NBA gig you can’t be picky.

There are likely other interviews in the pipeline — Nate McMillan will listen — but Malone would be a good hire if Cho and owner Michael Jordan choose to go that way.