Since Kevin Durant made his decision to join the Golden State Warriors, it has felt like Christmas. The NBA season cannot start soon enough. Still, the Warriors have some needs they need to fill before the start of the year.

The Warriors have added big men David West and Zaza Pachulia to try and replace Andrew Bogut, who will now be a member of the Dallas Mavericks. Bogut will be missed dearly, but Bob Myers did an excellent job finding some quality big men with limited resources.

Today, the Warriors were able to fill yet another need, but this time it was the coaching staff that received a boost. Mike Brown was officially hired to become an assistant coach, essentially replacing Luke Walton, who has Brown’s old job coaching the Los Angeles Lakers.

Brown comes to the Bay Area with plenty of coaching experience and should have no issue fitting in with Steve Kerr’s staff. They both have ties to Gregg Popovich, so this should be a smooth transition for the 2009 NBA Coach of the Year.

Here is the official Warriors press release:

OAKLAND, CA – The Golden State Warriors have named Mike Brown an assistant coach on Steve Kerr’s coaching staff, the team announced today. Brown, who was named NBA Coach of the Year in 2008-09, replaces Luke Walton on the team’s coaching staff.

“We’re fortunate to add someone with the pedigree and track record of Mike Brown to our coaching staff,” said Kerr. “I had the good opportunity to play under him and Coach Popovich in San Antonio at the end of my career. The wealth of knowledge and experience that he brings will be invaluable to our staff and our players. He’s a terrific fit and we’re thrilled to have him.”

Brown, 46, joins the Warriors after previously holding head coaching duties with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2005-10, 2013-14) and Los Angeles Lakers (2011-12). He owns a career record of 347-216 (.616) over eight seasons, which ranks as the 10th best winning percentage in NBA history among coaches who have registered at least 500 games at the helm. In his first stint with Cleveland, Brown led the Cavaliers to their first-ever NBA Finals appearance in 2007 and was named the NBA Coach of the Year in 2008-09 after guiding the Cavaliers to a franchise-record 66 wins. Cleveland won at least 50 games in four of Brown’s first five seasons with the club, including back-to-back 60-win campaigns in 2008-09 and 2009-10 (61).

Following a five-year run with the Cavs, Brown spent the 2010-11 season as an analyst for ESPN before returning to the bench as head coach of the Lakers in 2011-12, leading the club to a Pacific Division title and a 41-25 (.621) record during the lockout shortened season. Brown returned as head coach of the Cavaliers for the 2013-14 season, where he eclipsed Lenny Wilkins’ mark for most combined regular season and playoff victories in the franchise’s history (347). As a head coach, Brown’s teams qualified for the playoffs in six of his seven full seasons, advancing past the First Round in each appearance.

Prior to joining the Cavaliers in 2005, Brown was associate head coach of the Indiana Pacers for two seasons (2003-05) after spending three years as an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs (2001-03), where he and Kerr captured an NBA title in the final year of Kerr’s playing career. Brown began his career with the Denver Nuggets in 1992, spending five seasons as a video coordinator and scout before serving as an assistant under Bernie Bickerstaff in Washington beginning in 1997.

A native of Columbus, Ohio, Brown is a graduate of the University of San Diego, where he played collegiately for two seasons after spending two years at Mesa Community College. He and his wife, Carolyn, have two sons, Elijah and Cameron.