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With the exit of Don Nelson and the promotion of former assistant coach Keith Smart on Monday, it appears that the Golden State Warriors received a new lease on life.

It is widely known that Nelson was a successful coach during his career with the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks and Warriors (1,335-1,063).

He helped innovate the “point forward” position, which was the rage while he coached the Bucks. It obviously worked as Milwaukee was one of the more successful teams during the 1980′s, although they would regularly get eliminated by either the Boston Celtics or Philadelphia 76ers.

He also introduced the “run-and-gun” offense when he took over at Golden State. Results were mixed, at best, as while plenty of points were scored, they would give up as many or more points than they scored on most nights. In other words, defense was an afterthought.

On the flip side, he was a polarizing figure with the Warriors. Scrapes with Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson automatically come to mind, with a compromised team chemistry being the end result. That’s not necessarily a slam on Nelson, but it was what it was.

Then there was the uncertainty of his future with the Warriors as team owner Chris Cohen sold the team to Peter Guber and Joe Lacob on July 15. That would be the beginning of the end for Nelson as he resigned in September, with Smart taking over.

Smart, admittedly, is relatively new to the NBA coaching ranks although he did take over for John Lucas as interim coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2002 season. He coached the Cavaliers to a 9-31 record during that brief stint then would become an assistant coach with the Warriors in 2003.

The elevation of Smart to the top coaching job at Golden State by their new owners indicates that the team was looking to move in a new direction and were looking for a coach that was the opposite of Nelson.

I would suspect that Smart, unlike Nelson, will actually employ some defense into the team’s overall philosophy. Keep in mind that while as a player with Indiana University, his coach was one Bob Knight. So expect not only defense to be played by the team, but also for Smart to ensure that head cases do not permeate the Warriors’ roster.

And certainly Smart will have a decent core of players to work with during his first year with the team. Golden State got David Lee in a trade with the New York Knicks, which I think will prove to be a steal as the season progresses. They also have a dynamic guard tandem in Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis, so points probably will not be an issue most nights.

They also have some decent role players, as well. They managed to get some decent role players in Rodney Carney and Louis Amundson. Because both players do play defense, that is a plus, in my humble opinion.

Smart also has a completely new set of assistants, including Jerry Sichting, Stephen Silas, Calbert Cheaney, Robert Werdann and Mark Price.

So with the departure of Nelson and Smart taking over, the Warriors’ owners are instituting a fresh start for the team. And it certainly could not have come at a better time for the franchise as I detected a staleness on the team under Nelson. Smart as the head coach just extended the shelf life of Golden State.

They will not visit the playoffs right away, but the 2011-12 season could be the breakthrough season for the Warriors. So for now, let’s give Smart the benefit of the doubt.

After all, he has lots of work to do with the team he has inherited.