It's official, Nelson out as head coach

Yesterday at the Golden State Warriors media day, the team announced that Don Nelson is out as the head coach.  Assistant coach, Keith Smart, will take over as the new head coach.

It is being reported that Smart will get a three year deal so it appears that he is the coach moving forward.

The Warriors also announced the new coaching staff, which will include former Warrior Calbert Cheaney, and former Cleveland Cavalier, Mark Price.  They have also brought back Stephen Silas and hired Jerry Sichting and Robert Werdann.

Don Nelson resigns as Warriors head coach

According to ESPN's Marc Stein, the Golden State Warriors' new owners are set to let Don Nelson take the last year of his contract off.  Don Nelson, who is owed $6.2 million, will officially resign on Monday as the head coach and go back to Maui.

All reports seem to suggest that the job has been given to assistant Keith Smart who has been Nelson's head assistant in his second tenure with the Warriors.

It is interesting to note that this move is being made by the new owners, Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, who have not officially purchased the team from current owner Chris Cohan.  The belief is that the deal will be approved next month at the owner's meetings but that Lacob and Guber wanted this change to take place before training camp opened on Monday.

Although, Lacob and Guber had not officially purchased the team they have had a lot of say in the offseason moves by the Warriors.  They gave the okay on the David Lee trade and extension, and the signings of Dorell Wright, Louis Amundson, Rodney Carney, and Jeremy Lin.

Joe Lacob, the front man of the new ownership group, was not willing to discuss until Monday.

"There'll be clarity on Monday.  That's all I can say right now...."

Lacob did tell the San Jose Mercury News that Keith Smart would be receiving a multi-year contract but it was not clear if that contract would have him as a head coach for the entire duration.