Thomas Asks Malone To Create Rapture For Expansion Raptors

For the future, Isiah Thomas looked to his past.

To guide the Toronto Raptors through the difficult days of NBA expansion, team vice-president Thomas called on an old pal from his championship times.

Brendan Malone, an assistant who helped Thomas and the Detroit Pistons earn back-to-back NBA titles in the late 1980s, was named Friday as the first head coach in Raptors history.

“He had the maturity and experience we were looking for,” Thomas said of Malone.

“We wanted people who had won championships, people who could stand up in front of 12 guys in the locker room and not demand respect but command respect.”

Malone, an assistant in the NBA since 1986, promised his team would not embarrass itself.

“I know it would be Pollyanna-ish of me to suggest we’ll win the NBA title next year, but we will compete,” he said.

The Portland Trail Blazers said they have obtained a first-round draft pick from the Houston Rockets under the terms of a Feb. 14 trade that sent Clyde Drexler to Houston.

Former Golden State coach Don Nelson said he would be interested in coaching the Miami Heat next season if he were offered “a super deal.”<