Warriors made right decision hiring Steve Kerr as head coach

Paul Dewhurst,
Contributor

The media has been abuzz since last month when the Golden State Warriors hired former NBA player and TNT commentator Steve Kerr as their new head coach, despite the fact that Kerr has zero coaching experience.

Kerr is a five-time NBA champion, a former NBA general manager and 20-year college and professional player who has played under Hall of Fame coaches Lute Olson, Lenny Wilkens, Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich.

What’s missing from his resume, however, is any actual coaching experience.

Kerr’s inexperience with a clipboard is suspect, but he will find success as head coach of the Warriors because of his strong relationship with Warriors management and his championship-playing career under arguably four of the brightest basketball minds in the history of the sport.

And, despite the lack of coaching experience, he has a strong coaching philosophy for the Warriors.

Just because Kerr doesn’t have any coaching experience doesn’t mean he is absent of a coaching philosophy. According to Sean Elliott, a former teammate of Kerr with the Arizona Wildcats and the San Antonio Spurs, Kerr has been preparing to be an NBA coach for over two years.

In an interview with Mercury News sports columnist Tim Kawakami, Kerr revealed how former NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy advised him to write down his coaching philosophies during his time as an NBA analyst.

“And I’ve done that,” Kerr said in reference to writing down his coaching philosophy. “Gone over in detail what my expectations would be for a team and how I’d like to play, what my staff would look like, what the daily routine would be, everything from social media, training staff, assistant coaching staff… I’ve put a lot of thought into this.”

Kerr revealed to Bay Area radio station 95.7 THE GAME that his coaching philosophy will include spreading the floor on the offensive end for sharp shooting guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

Under former head coach Mark Jackson, there was a lack of offensive creativity that made the Warriors offense too predictable. Kerr insists ball movement, spacing and flow will be the foundation to generating open looks on offense.

Jackson’s on-the-court success as the head coach of the Warriors wasn’t enough for him to keep his job. After leading Golden State to consecutive playoff appearances, Jackson was released of his duties, leaving many around the sports world asking: “Why would they fire him?” The answer is simple: he had a strained relationship with the Warriors front office.

Jackson never saw eye to eye with Warriors owner Joe Lacob and after a verbal argument with the owner’s son, management had enough. So when hiring Jackson’s successor, the Warriors’ brass wanted someone who they could work with.

Enter Steve Kerr.

Kerr has formed a great relationship with owner Lacob and team president Rick Welts who used to work with Kerr when he was the general manager for the Phoenix Suns.

The pairing of Kerr and the front office now sets the Warriors up for more peaceful times in the future, giving the organization and the head coach a favorable chance to withstand a healthy relationship throughout the pressures of an NBA season.

Kerr became a hot commodity in NBA coaching circles the minute Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson recruited him to coach the New York Knicks. Kerr earned three straight championships under Jackson with the Chicago Bulls.

Kerr won NBA championships in 1999 and 2003 with the San Antonio Spurs under Popovich. Kerr played for NBA champion coach Wilkens in Cleveland and under Olsen during his four years at the University of Arizona.

“He’s quite an intelligent young man,” Popovich, a four time NBA champion, said. “He’s been around. He’s seen a lot. He’s seen enough to know what he wants to do and what he doesn’t want to do. He’s great with interpersonal relationships. He’s a hard worker. He’s obviously a close friend, but I think on a professional level he’ll dive in and do everything he can, beginning with forming a staff and trying to do everything the right way. I’m excited for him.”

Kerr has a wealth of experience under some of the best coaches. Kerr was never a great player in the NBA, which allowed him to sit alongside these storied coaches.

After the Warriors hired Kerr, Wilkens joked, “Hopefully he was paying attention.” In his 20-year basketball career with four hall of fame coaches, Warriors fans can only hope that he picked up a thing or two.

Kerr’s job as a head coach starts now. The praise he has received will not mean anything if he doesn’t win basketball games for the Warriors. His hiring set the standard for championship basketball in Golden State and if he doesn’t win more than 51 games, than the Warriors would have taken a step backwards.

Kerr has no experience as a coach, but he has the tools to become a successful head coach in this league. Though there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding his inexperience, his hiring will prove to be the right one for a team hoping to evolve from a playoff contender to a championship contender.