Steve Kerr accepts Warriors' head coaching job; deal worth a reported $25M over 5 years
Steve Kerr shocked the NBA world Wednesday night.
Many thought the former Phoenix Suns general manager and current TNT analyst would sign on as head coach of the New York Knicks, under former coach Phil Jackson, who was recently installed as the Knicks president, after a very public courting process over the past few weeks.
Instead, Kerr accepted the head coaching job in Golden State. The Warriors announced Wednesday night that they "reached an agreement in principle for Kerr to become the team's new head coach." The deal is reportedly worth $25 million over five years, according to Yahoo Sports, immediately making Kerr one of the league's highest-paid coaches, despite his 0-0 career coaching record.
Steve Kerr's agent, Mike Tannenbaum, is confirming Kerr has reached agreement with the Warriors.
— Diamond Leung (@diamond83) May 15, 2014
Kerr spurning The Zen Master is surprising, though not completely out of the blue. Contract talks had been slow to progress, and it's possible that when the Knicks finally offered Kerr a fourth year on Wednesday, the Warriors trumped it with a fifth. Kerr is also from California, lives in San Diego, and has a daughter who attends the University of California, located in Oakland.
He'll also enter a situation with a far better roster than what New York can offer, one that includes Steph Curry, who may be the only player in league history who can challenge Kerr for 3-point accuracy.
"We love Kerr. Incredibly prepared. We got him because of our players. The Golden State Warriors' future is bright," Joe Lacob says in text.
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) May 15, 2014
As for what the Warriors are getting, it's unclear. It sounds as if Kerr may employ elements of Jackson's triangle offense, but it's difficult to get a handle on what his vision for a basketball team is. He attempted to make the Suns a bit more "traditional" in his three years as GM there, but being an executive is different from coaching, and he wasn't on the job quite long enough to make an indelible imprint.
In any case, the Warriors clearly feel Kerr is "their guy," after Stan Van Gundy signed in Detroit earlier Wednesday. Kerr seems to have weighed the roster situation and proximity to his family such that the Dubs are the right fit for him, too. Expectations are also higher, though, and the inexperienced Kerr will be under the microscope immediately.
"Bob (Myers) and Steve (Kerr) are going to be fantastic. I am ecstatic," - Joe Lacob said.
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) May 15, 2014
If you're the Knicks at this point, it's unclear where you go next. Jackson whiffed on bringing in one of "his guys," and has said he won't coach himself. Kerr was the lone rumored top candidate, and the team surely wants to have a coach in place ahead of Carmelo Anthony's free agency. Let the speculation begin.