The Golden State Warriors may be a “fading” dynasty, but they aren’t done trying to win another title in the Stephen Curry era.
With their star point guard slated to return for his 17th season, the Warriors felt it was only right to bring back the guy who has been coaching some since (nearly) the very beginning: Steve Kerr. After recently agreeing to terms on a new two-way extension, he spoke about the decision and the factors that led him to extend his time in San Francisco.
“I couldn’t be more excited to continue in this job,” said Kerr, via Dalton Johnson. “We had a great process the last few weeks of just trying to figure this out, together, collaboratively. I don’t think this actually happens in pro sports, honestly, where you have these kinds of conversations and genuinely try to figure out what the right thing is. I’m very lucky to be in this organization and work with the people that I do. It truly is a partnership, and we’re trying to do the best thing for the franchise. We literally spent a couple of weeks trying to figure out if the best thing for this franchise was me coming back. I took about a week to think about whether it was the right thing for me, and my wife and I spoke every day about it. Bottom line was, I still love what I do, which is what I told you guys throughout the season. I love coaching, I love being a part of the Warriors, and I decided to keep doing this if the Warriors want me to keep doing this.”
One of the biggest questions about Kerr’s extension is whether it was endorsed by star guard Stephen Curry, the Warriors’ most important player. According to Kerr, neither Steph nor Draymond Green was involved in the process, which is very surprising given their status as beloved legends of the franchise.
“I was in touch with both of them,” said Kerr. “They did not have any impact or influence on whether I was going to be the coach, and that’s a credit to them. I think one of the strong points of our organization is that our best player, who is one of the greatest players in the history of the game, is not telling Mike or Joe what to do. He understands the repercussions of that if he wanted to go down that path. It’s not healthy, and it usually doesn’t work out well when a player tries to dictate what an organization does. Steph has always recognized the sanctity of that wall that should exist.”
A superstar like Curry would usually use his power and influence to make their own pick for head coach, but Steph isn’t built that way. When it comes to executive decisions, he leaves it up to the front office while keeping his focus entirely on the court. The result is a strong relationship between star and team, which allows both sides to work in harmony.
Lately, the Warriors have struggled to keep up with their Western competitors, but there is still a path to victory with Steph leading the way. As a four-time champion and two-time MVP, we already know what he can do under pressure, and he hasn’t lost a beat after 16 years. This season, in 43 games, he averaged 36.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game on 46.8% shooting and 39.3% shooting from three.
In what could be the last stretch of his NBA career, the Warriors have shown Steph that they are all-in on the title pursuit. No matter how bad things looked in the regular season, Kerr’s return means the Warriors will not give up, and they intend to compete as long as Curry is active (he’s set to sign a new extension this summer). Now it falls on GM Mike Dunleavy to support Steph, Draymond, and Kerr and make a series of moves that will return them to their former glory.
