Steinmetz: Warriors' coaching search to quicken

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May 15, 2011STEINMETZ ARCHIVEWARRIORS PAGEWARRIORS VIDEOMatt SteinmetzCSNBayArea.com

Warriors owner Joe Lacob is on his way back to the country, which figures to mean the team's head coaching search is likely to pick up some.Warriors general manager Larry Riley has been contacting potential candidates and even meeting with a few, but with Lacob returning from a two-week trip overseas, things could accelerate. On April 27, the Warriors announced they were not picking up Keith Smart's option for the 2011-12 season.
Lacob will be in Secaucus, N.J., for the NBA draft lottery on Tuesday, and then it's familiarizing himself with some candidates.Here's what we know so far:
--The Warriors have asked for permission to talk to Dallas assistant Dwane Casey and Lakers assistants Brian Shaw and Chuck Person.--The Warriors also have reached out to former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown.--According to SI.com, Golden State officials met with Brown and Casey last week.--The Warriors contacted former Jazz coach Jerry Sloan and former Knicks and Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy, but both declined interviews. According to sources, Sloan indicated to the Warriors he is not likely to return to coaching and Van Gundy told the Warriors he wasn't looking to get back into coaching at this time because of family matters.--The Warriors had interest in San Antonio assistant coach Mike Budenholzer, but Budenholzer indicated at the end of the Spurs' playoff series that while he wanted to be a head coach some day, the time was not now. There is a belief among some around the league that Budenholzer is likely to replace Gregg Popovich when Popovich eventually steps down.

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