Steve Kerr Signs 5 year, $25M Deal with GSW

Said "NY was too far". You're going to spend half of your life on the road and the other half in a film room and you think "NY is too far"? Little bit of a slap in the face of Phil Jackson, who coveted him from the beginning.

Well, as a fair-weather GSW fan (I'm an all-weather, all-terrain Celtics fan) I have to say that this is going to be interesting. He lacks SVG's coaching experience but he has experience at personnel management.

Well, here we go...



bob



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From the ESPN report...

Steve Kerr has turned down Phil Jackson and the New York Knicks to accept a five-year, $25 million offer to become the Golden State Warriors' next coach, saying "it just felt like the right move on many levels."

"They have a good young team. The location is ideal," Kerr said in a phone interview with NBA.com on Wednesday night. "My daughter goes to Cal and plays volleyball. My oldest son is in college in San Diego and our youngest is a junior in high school. It's just a short flight for them."

Kerr had been in talks with the Knicks about becoming their next coach after Jackson took over as team president in March.

Sources with knowledge of the negotiations told ESPN.com that the Knicks -- preferring to sign Kerr to a four-year deal rather than the five-year pact he received from Golden State -- had offered him about $20 million with incentives.


Staying away from the Madison Square Garden Circus is a smart move by Kerr.

Phil Jackson coveted Steve Kerr from the beginning? I thought Phil was still with Jeannie Buss. LOL.

Sam

I like Steve Kerr. I hope he can coach.

Steve Kerr made the right choice.

With that said, should a guy with zero coaching experience get his pick of the litter?



KJ

k_j_88 wrote:Steve Kerr made the right choice.

With that said, should a guy with zero coaching experience get his pick of the litter?



KJ

KJ,

Kerr played for 15 years in the NBA.
He was the President and GM of the Suns for many years.
He knows the players and knows the NBA game.

Did you feel Brad Stevens was not qualified to coach the Celtics since he never played in the NBA or was even an assistant coach? Coaching 19 and 20 year olds for 5 years is very different from managing the personalities as an NBA head coach.

tjmakz wrote:
KJ,

Kerr played for 15 years in the NBA.
He was the President and GM of the Suns for many years.
He knows the players and knows the NBA game.

Did you feel Brad Stevens was not qualified to coach the Celtics since he never played in the NBA or was even an assistant coach? Coaching 19 and 20 year olds for 5 years is very different from managing the personalities as an NBA head coach.

I specifically said coaching experience.

Does Brad Steven's have prior coaching experience to the Celtics?

How many GMs were looking to hire Stevens other than Ainge?

I'm not faulting Kerr for getting the job. GSW is a good job and the team is already built. I just think it's interesting how some guys can get those jobs without coaching experience.

And Brad Stevens wasn't just some random hire. He put the Butler program on the map.


KJ

Didn't Orlando have to make the same decision with 38-year-old broadcaster, Doc Rivers? And didn't Doc win the Coach of the Year Award shortly thereafter?

Sam

k_j_88 wrote:

tjmakz wrote:
KJ,

Kerr played for 15 years in the NBA.
He was the President and GM of the Suns for many years.
He knows the players and knows the NBA game.

Did you feel Brad Stevens was not qualified to coach the Celtics since he never played in the NBA or was even an assistant coach? Coaching 19 and 20 year olds for 5 years is very different from managing the personalities as an NBA head coach.

I specifically said coaching experience.

Does Brad Steven's have prior coaching experience to the Celtics?



KJ

The NBA head coach is as much about handling the personalities as it is about the x's and o's of the game.
Do you think there was much that Brad could have said to a veteran like Rondo that he hasn't heard from Doc?

Yes, Brad had college coaching experience.
Do you know how many former players are assistant or lead assistance coaches that probably could have or should have had an opportunity before Brad?

Obviously, GSW and New York really wanted Kerr.
I bet it didn't matter to them one ounce that he has never been a head coach.

What's interesting is that Brad's coaching style is very different then what fits his current players. His goal at Butler was to limit possessions, shoot at the end of the shot clock and to keep games in the low to mid 60's. With Boston he has Rondo, Bradley and Green who are very good open court players.

No, I don't suspect that other teams were after Brad. Really, only a team in full rebuild mode would take a chance at a hire like Stevens.

Do I like him? Yes. I think he is a good coach. Boston just needs to get him the players to allow him to be a successful NBA head coach.

Also, how much do you think Kerr learned about coaching from playing most of his career while having Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich as his head coach?

I'm not even remotely attempting to extrapolate what Kerr will do as coach. I'm sure he can probably be successful someday.

All I'm saying is, it's quite the curious situation. There are guys that have been NBA assistants for years that don't even get a sniff at a head coaching position and you have someone that's never coached a team before can just get whatever job they want.

I'm not saying there even has to be a rule against that practice, I just find it interesting.



KJ