Warriors’ Walton proves ready for head-coaching gig

In a split-second, Walton realized he wasn't acting as the Warriors' head coach anymore and sat back down to the left of Steve Kerr. After nearly four months as the Warriors' interim head coach, Walton returned to his role as lead assistant, but it might not be long until one of the league's breakout stars of the first half of the season is a head man once again. The league told NBA.com that it's still reviewing the rules to decide who will coach the Western Conference team in next month's All-Star Game. Per NBA rules, the All-Star coaches are taken from the teams with the conferences' best records as of Jan. 31, and the Warriors lead the Spurs by two games atop the West. [...] coaches aren't allowed to lead consecutive All-Star teams, and Kerr and the Warriors' staff coached the West last season in New York. Walton, who played the first 8 ½ seasons of his 10-year NBA career with the Lakers, has ties to Los Angeles and New York Knicks president Phil Jackson. Walton said he loves the Bay Area and the environment the Warriors have created, and he's in no hurry to be a head coach in a rough profession that has seen two of the four conference finalists from last year fired this...