Steve Kerr Comments on Warriors' Start, Matching Up with 1995-96 Chicago Bulls

Steve Kerr became a dual NBA champion after leading the Golden State Warriors to their first title in four decades as head coach, 17 years after winning the last of three consecutive titles as a point guard with the Chicago Bulls.

Kerr hasn’t yet returned to the sidelines after two offseason back surgeries, but he hasn’t been out of the spotlight.

Given the Warriors have picked up right where they left off—15-0 and one victory shy of an NBA record for most wins to start the season without a loss—Kerr has naturally fielded questions comparing his current squad and the 1995-96 Bulls bunch he played for that went 72-10, an NBA record.

However, he prefaced that by discussing how he feels having to watch from afar, per Ethan Sherwood Strauss of ESPN.com:

"

I have to start out by saying the human side of me, so I'm in the locker room last night, watching the game, Van Gundy's talking about the '96 Bulls compared to this team. Sitting there, I'm like, "Damn it, I should be coaching this team, I should be out there." And then in the press conference afterward, somebody would be asking me about this whole '96 Bulls thing, and I love this stuff! This is so much fun. God, I miss this. It's killing me.

"

Kerr was even asked how his current squad would stack up against the one he suited up for two decades ago and couldn’t wed to either side, per Strauss:

"

My initial thoughts are that it is literally impossible to even compare, because the rules are so different and the eras are so different. We would overload the strong side on [Michael] Jordan, and they would call illegal defense; and they would put their hands all over [Stephen] Curry, and the refs would call a foul. That make sense?

[...]

I would have had a nightmarish time playing against the Warriors, because I wouldn't have been able to find anybody to guard. Nobody can guard Steph, so I would have had an impossible time trying to do that. So, I don't even know where to begin on that front.

"

The Bulls dynasty of the '90s is considered one of the greatest in sports history, and the Warriors took the first step toward establishing their own last year in posting the league’s best record, then marching through the playoffs with ease.

Two-time MVP Steve Nash was asked to compare Curry to Jordan last week, per Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News, and declined, but instead said: "I wouldn’t compare him to Michael Jordan—I wouldn’t compare anybody to Michael. But I would say Steph is turning into a historical category of his own, in a way. … He’s maybe as skilled a player as we’ve ever had in this game."

Curry is considered among the greatest shooters of this generation. Even as last year's MVP, could he be the league's most improved player? The stats suggest Curry has a case, per John Schuhmann of NBA.com:

As Jordan was, Curry is surrounded by a horde of remarkable talent. Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes have solidified a nucleus that should contend for years to come. 

But, for now, they’ll continue to march onward as Kerr recovers. The good news is the second-year head coach is expected back at some point this season.