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Golden State Warriors: Steve Kerr is criminally underrated

By Marc Princi

OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 17: Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors talks to the media during a press conference before the game against the Houston Rockets on October 17, 2017 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 17: Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors talks to the media during a press conference before the game against the Houston Rockets on October 17, 2017 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr recently confirmed talks of a contract extension with the team. Here’s why he’s so underrated as a coach.

The Golden State Warriors are reportedly planning on extending head coach Steve Kerr‘s contract in 2018. Kerr, general manager Bob Myers, and owner Joe Lacob told Tim Kawakami of The Athletic that a long-term extension will likely be negotiated in the offseason.

According to Kerr, they had previously discussed an extension, but Kerr’s back issues forced the talks to be stalled.

"“We just agreed we’d wait,” Kerr said. “I’ve got two years left on my deal and wanted to make sure that everything went well this year health-wise. And I don’t anticipate any issues going forward. I don’t have any desire to be anywhere else. So I’m sure when we get down to it, we’ll come to an agreement pretty quickly.”"

According to Kawakami, “Myers said the team fully understands that Kerr wants to feel healthy — and he is making steps in that direction after suffering from the aftermath of a spinal fluid leak during back surgery in the summer of 2015 — before committing himself to anything long-term.”

As for the owner, Lacob told Kawakami, “I would expect him to be our coach for a long time. We did try, but I think he basically just wanted to wait and see how his health was, that was the primary thing. We had a couple years to go [on his contract, which runs through the 2018-19 season], so we understood that. He understood that. I suspect we’ll probably not deal with it during the season and next summer we’ll talk again. I would like to have him for a very long term. He’s fantastic. We love him.”

The people that make the big decisions realize Kerr’s importance to the team, and their musings above reinforce an oft-overlooked notion: Steve Kerr is criminally underrated.

What makes Kerr underrated?

Steve Kerr’s contributions to the Warriors have been underappreciated since the start. The common arguments are that former coach Mark Jackson built this team and that anyone could coach a team with this level of talent successfully.

While Jackson had great success with the Warriors, he had never led them to the heights Kerr has. In Kerr’s first season alone, his list of accomplishments were, and still are, mind-blowing. But, when we take a look at his list of achievements over the past three-plus seasons, it shows just how underappreciated he really is.

Steve Kerr’s achievements (as of 11/1/17):

  • Two-time NBA champion (2015, 2017)
  • NBA Coach of the Year (2016)
  • Two-time Western Conference All-Star Game head coach (2015, 2017)
  • NBA record 73-9 regular season record (2016)
  • NBA record 16-1 playoff record (2017)
  • 212-42 all-time regular season record (.835 win percentage)
  • 47-15 all-time playoff record (.758 win percentage)

That list of accomplishments is simply phenomenal, and it is a testament to Kerr’s ability as a head coach. However, despite all of the tangible achievements Kerr has accomplished, his greatest skill is how he has been able to effectively lead a team littered with star power.

Overlooked aspects of Kerr’s tenure

The Warriors, as we all know, feature superstars Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green. Add to that a former All-Star and Finals MVP in Andre Iguodala. That level of talent and ability should, realistically, present as many challenges as it does successes. There is a reason a number of super-teams have failed throughout the years: Large egos and personal desires derail a team’s ability to develop chemistry and succeed together.

However, this has never been an issue for the Warriors. Perhaps this should be attributed to the personalities of the player, but Kerr has tied it all together, and very few coaches would be able to do the same.

Another overlooked aspect of Kerr’s coaching tenure is how he’s been able to help JaVale McGee revive his NBA career. Most would agree that McGee was on his way out of the league. After struggling in recent seasons and having his reputation somewhat tarnished by repeated features on Shaqtin’ a Fool, it seemed inevitable.

However, McGee has transformed into a valued member of this championship team, and is one of the league’s best spark plugs off the bench. McGee’s evolution should be attributed to his drive and determination to succeed, as well as Kerr’s coaching ability.

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All things aside, it is great to see Kerr healthy once again. Hopefully, his injury troubles are a thing of the past.

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