The departure of Mark Jackson was a surprise to some Warriors fans. After leading the Warriors to the playoffs in back to back seasons, Jackson had already accomplished enough to earn the endearment from his players and the fans. However, owner Joe Lacob is set on winning now and wanted a coach to get the Warriors back to the promise land.
It’s no secret that Warriors management and Jackson were not on the same page, so Lacob wanted a coach who could was well rounded and ready to make the Warriors a championship contender. The Warriors were able to land the top coaching prospect in the off-season in Steve Kerr, but more importantly they were able to acquire a coach with championship background. According to Chris Ballard of Sports Illustrated, Kerr brings in a lot of experience from many different levels in the NBA:
“Kerr is a potential hybrid, the rare coach who has experience in management (three years as Suns GM), championship cred as a player (those five rings) and extensive media chops (in addition to his broadcasting work, Kerr wrote for his high school paper alongside Mike Silver, who penned an SI profile of his friend in 1997). Theoretically, Kerr could be a coach who can win the press conference, relate to players, delegate wisely, think big picture and grow into a tactician. Those are not easy to find.”
Kerr has five championship rings and that should be enough to convince anybody that he is the right guy for the job. However, Kerr brings much more to the Warriors than championship experience. Kerr spent three years as the Suns General Manager, which makes it much easier for him to get along with Warriors management. He is also a very successful broadcaster and that can be attributed to his vast basketball knowledge.
While he has no prior coaching experience, Kerr is a promising coach and the perfect guy for the Warriors. His resume speaks for itself and he is very eager to get to work. Kerr took this job because he wanted to win now and he has that opportunity with this current roster. The Warriors made the right choice by hiring Kerr, he was the best man for the job.