The Golden State Warriors extended Steve Kerr’s tenure as head coach of the franchise by giving him a $35 million, two-year extension this season. Despite the Warriors being the No. 10 seed in the West, Warriors owner Joe Lacob has explained why this was a valuable deal for the franchise which won four titles with Kerr.
“Well look, he very much deserves it. Ten years. Ten years — you don’t see that very often these days. Coaches change. The players change. One thing we have in this organization we’re very proud of is continuity and Steve has been a fantastic partner, fantastic coach, great for the organization, great for the community. I mean, what hasn’t he done in his career? Winning championships as a player, and as a coach. We are very happy to be able to extend him. He commanded a big number, and he got a big number. But that’s OK. If you do a great job, you get compensated.”
"If you do a great job, you get compensated."
Joe Lacob on Steve Kerr's record-setting extension 💰 pic.twitter.com/C0VOPbKqGX
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 7, 2024
The Warriors have a 32-28 record this season but have been one of the most in-form teams since the start of February. Even with Stephen Curry going through a shooting slump, the team has been finding ways to win games with Kerr playing a role. He made the right adjustments by moving Klay Thompson to the bench and giving players like Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski more opportunities.
Whether Kerr is the right long-term coach for Golden State after the end of their dynasty era is a different question. But he is the right man for the team for at least two additional years, mainly because Curry is likely going to be on the franchise for that tenure.
Steve Kerr Getting Recognition As A Top-5 Coach In NBA History
When we analyze the greatest coaches in NBA history, Steve Kerr’s name has to be in the conversation. While I wouldn’t call him not greater than the likes of Red Auerbach, Phil Jackson, Gregg Popovich, and Pat Riley, but he’s in the conversation with those legends due to his extremely successful tenure as a coach.
Colin Cowherd has already floated the idea of Kerr being viewed as a top-five coach in league history.
“Kerr’s remarkable, part of the greatest NBA team ever, and hit some of the biggest shots. He’s now one of the best coaches… He is one of the most significant people in league history. He’s moving into a Pat Riley stage where I’m like this is an all-time top-five guy in league history.”
While saying top-five is a stretch, especially without factoring in more talented coaches like Rudy Tomjanovich, Kerr has a seat at the table.
The Warriors couldn’t justify letting a coach like Kerr walk after everything he achieved for the franchise. Whether more accolades await in the Kerr era is something we’ll have to wait and see, but his service to the franchise over the last decade had to be rewarded.
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