Golden State Warriors: Why GS Owner Must Worry About Team First, Family Second

On Monday, May 14, the Golden State Warriors announced that Kirk Lacob—son of co-owner Joe Lacob—would be the Warriors' new assistant GM. The question here is simple:

Did Kirk receive the promotion based on qualifications or based on his last name?

Nepotism: favoritism (as in appointment to a job) based on kinship.

Based on his son's qualifications, or lack thereof, compared to other potential candidates, I predict that Joe will soon regret his decision. If he doesn't, Golden State fans will.

It's not as if Kirk has zero experience, as Fox  News tells us:

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The son of Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob, and a graduate of Stanford, Kirk spent the last two seasons as the club's director of basketball operations and player development representative with the league office.

In addition, the younger Lacob serves as general manager of the Dakota Wizards, Golden State's affiliate in the NBA Development League, a post to which he was named last August.

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And, according to an online article, GM Bob Myers stated last month that he would most likely promote from within, making the younger Lacob a natural choice. 

A graduate of Stanford, Kirk's resume may look satisfactory at first glance. However, he is a recent graduate, making him only 25 years old as he becomes an assistant GM of a major league basketball team.

Yes, he manages Golden State's D-League team, but the weight of the two is hardly comparable—especially when one considers he's only held the GM position for nine months.

According to sources, Kirk is an avid NBA follower. That may be true, but if that alone made someone eligible to hold a front office position, I know several individuals who should have applied.

Had this promotion happened five years from now, I would have supported it whole-heartedly. All things considered, though, this transition is overall premature.