Photo by: Michael Macor/Chronicle
Oakland, CA - The Golden State Warriors rolled the dice once before, in fact just three years ago former head coach Mark Jackson was introduced as the new head coach. Jackson took the Warriors to the playoffs twice and finished his last season with fifty-one wins, something that has been accomplished only four times in franchise history.
Despite the team's rise to success over the years, Golden State had other issues brewing amongst senior management that could no longer be ignored. A unanimous vote declared Jackson's end and Steve Kerr's beginning as the new coach of the Warriors. He was introduced at a press conference this past Tuesday at the facility.
As a former Executive and NBA Champion he shares one quality with Jackson, no head coaching experience. Many thought the Warriors would've gone with a more veteran coach who can lead the team past the second round of the playoffs. But instead the owners and senior management wanted something different and less problematic.
It was obvious Jackson did not get along with his bosses despite his remarkable job within three years. The subtle changes within his coaching staff were hard to ignore during the season, including his relationship with now head coach Michael Malone. It was time to move on in a different direction.
"He blew our socks off," owner Joe Lacob said. "Steve Kerr and Bob Myers together is my dream team. That is my dream team."
"The most important thing I've learned in sports is owner/GM/coach, that troika, that relationship between those three, is critical," said Kerr. "The relationship between those three will determine how you get through the bumps."
No one is certain Kerr's the guy to facilitate those bumps. When asked if the Warriors were a NBA Championship team he replied, "They're a very good team." He definitely construes the expectations of the teams need for continued success. His job is not just pleasing his superiors, Kerr will need the players to buy in to his plan as well as the fans.
Maybe he can lead Golden State to the Western Conference Finals or the NBA Finals. But in order for that to happen, the team will need to make some roster moves. The injuries were tough this past year and adding more depth in the paint is critical. The competition in the West is real and in order to get past teams like the Los Angeles Clippers and Oklahoma City will require some off season movement.
But that's the General Manager's job and if not done right, Myers may find his job on the line. It's going to be a group effort in order to improve this team in the Western Conference. There's certainly an opportunity to do it especially with teams like the Los Angeles Lakers falling out of the picture.
There are a lot of teams in the NBA that will have to start over with a new coach. It's obvious which teams will return to the playoffs next year. The Warriors are definitely a team that can be apart of that journey. In the meantime we all have to buy in to what Kerr presents and hope he can accomplish more than Jackson in making Golden State a NBA Championship team.