Golden State Warriors Weekly: Building The Coaching Staff

Dubs Bring On Alvin Gentry:

When the Warriors hired Steve Kerr as the team’s new head coach, there was an enormous amount of pressure immediately placed on his shoulders. Not only is Golden State management convinced they have a roster capable of contending in the West, but Kerr will be expected to upgrade the Dubs’ offense while also keeping Jackson’s top-five defense intact. Those are pretty high expectations for a guy with zero prior coaching experience.

However, adding a guy like Alvin Gentry to the coaching staff is a good way to soften the blow of that inexperience. Most recently, Gentry served as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers, but before that his most successful tenure was in the Valley of the Sun where he was the head coach of the Phoenix Suns. Gentry compiled a mediocre 158-144 record, but he never had a quality roster to work with after Amare Stoudemire left.

As of Friday, Gentry will be the new associate head coach of the Warriors. He’s always had the reputation of being personable with the media and great with his players, making him a great hire for any team. Considering team morale isn’t great right now with the departure of Jackson and all these Klay Thompson trade rumors swirling around, Gentry is an experienced and stabilizing presence to add to the locker room.