Ranking Golden State Warriors' Head Coach Replacements If Steve Kerr Departs
Speculation about Steve Kerr's potential departure from the Golden State Warriors has been a running theme for the organization throughout this season.
And the possibility suddenly felt a little more real when he shared a near-goodbye moment with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green at the end of the team's recent play-in loss.
We still don't have official word on whether Kerr is done, but he doesn't have a new contract, the Warriors have missed the playoffs in two of the four years since their last championship, and they have been knocked out shy of the conference finals in the other two.
If the apparent writing on the wall leads to an actual departure, whoever replaces him will have big shoes to fill. Kerr is top 30 in total regular-season wins, has the sixth-highest regular-season winning percentage (among coaches with at least 500 games), and is sixth all-time in total playoff wins.
His successor would be walking into one of the league's most interesting situations. On one hand, the presence of Curry, Green and Jimmy Butler on the roster suggests Golden State is in the middle of a win-now window. On the other, recent results suggest it's time for a more developmentally minded coach who can take the organization through a rebuild.
With those considerations in mind, we have some potential replacements in mind for the Warriors to target.
5. Andre Iguodala
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Andre Iguodala has no coaching experience, but his name started trending as a potential replacement after longtime Bay Area sports writer Tim Kawakami referenced him as his "outside-the-envelope candidate" to replace Kerr.
That may not seem like enough to crack this top five, but Kawakami has long been one of the most plugged-in journalists around this organization, and Iguodala's game certainly suggests he's capable of coaching.
Of course, the direct player-to-coach pipeline has plenty of horror stories. Steve Nash and Jason Kidd almost certainly could've used some seasoning as assistants or front office personnel before taking their first head coaching jobs. But more recently, JJ Redick has proven that success on that path is possible.
When he was a Warrior, Iguodala's vision and playmaking on both ends of the floor made him a critical piece of the team's success. Those traits should seemingly translate to the bench. His existing relationships with Curry and Green would almost certainly help too.
There's obviously some risk involved here, but the connection is hard to ignore.
4. Chris Quinn
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If the Warriors are going to tab an assistant to take over, it might make sense to pull from their own bench.
Terry Stotts has NBA head coaching experience, but he's eight years older than Kerr. Bruce Fraser has been on the staff since the 2014 offseason. And Jerry Stackhouse is a former NBA player with head coaching experience in the college ranks.
But the hottest name among the league's assistants over the last few years may be Miami Heat "associate head coach" Chris Quinn.
He's a former point guard who's been with the Heat for over a decade. And the only higher-ranked man on that bench has spoken positively about his No. 2.
Early in this season, Erik Spoelstra credited Quinn for an inbound play he called "CQ" that won the Heat a game at the last second. Spoelstra has also described Quinn as "instrumental" and a "major part" of what Miami does. Last offseason, Spoelstra said that he thought Quinn would one day be a coach when he coached Quinn as a player.
That's a strong endorsement from a coach generally considered to be one of the best in NBA history.
And after a few years of Golden State hovering around mediocrity, it may be time for a shakeup that results in hiring from outside the organization.
3. Tom Thibodeau
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This is definitely one of the win-now options.
Like Stotts, 68-year-old Tom Thibodeau is eight years Kerr's senior. And given how quickly his gruff, no-nonsense style has worn out its welcome at previous stops, there may not be a long runway after hiring him.
Thibodeau also coached Butler on both the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves. And given how the star left the latter, there could be some potential for tension between he and his potential coach.
Having said all that, there may not be another coach in or around the NBA who's more effective at raising the floor of a roster.
Thibodeau requires (and generally gets) maximum effort and attention on the defensive end. His offensive systems have never gotten as much attention, but the way he empowers point guards certainly helped Derrick Rose and Jalen Brunson. He'd give Curry a bit more freedom than he may have had under Kerr, and that could lead to some fun twilight years.
If Golden State wants these last couple seasons with the best player in franchise history seriously competing for championships, Thibodeau is worth a look.
2. Mike Budenholzer
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Mike Budenholzer's lone season with the Phoenix Suns was a disaster, but that team couldn't have been built much worse for a coach like him.
He famously extracted more wins out of the Atlanta Hawks (particularly in 2014-15) than anyone expected, thanks to a team-first, free-flowing offense that looked an awful lot like the San Antonio Spurs toward the end of Tim Duncan's career.
He won a title with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. And though Giannis was more ball-dominant than any of his most important Hawks, everyone else on those teams bought into the system and were fine deferring to one of the greatest players of all time.
In Phoenix, Budenholzer had three ball-dominant jump shooters who didn't fit together at all. Their personalities seemingly clashed about as much as their games. And just a few months into the season, it became clear Budenholzer would powerless to control the situation.
In Golden State, he'd be taking over a team that's already used to a system that requires tons of ball and player movement. His best player, Curry, is one of the most selfless superstars in league history.
The foundation in Golden State is far stronger than what the Suns threw together. And Budenholzer could build on that.
1. Todd Golden
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Like the NBA player-to-NBA coach pipeline, the college coach-to-NBA coach pipeline is a little messy. Some of the very best to ever do it in the NCAA, including Rick Pitino and John Calipari, famously flamed out in the pros.
But Florida Gators head coach Todd Golden could reportedly be a candidate for this post in the event Kerr leaves it.
From a strictly wins-and-losses standpoint, it's not hard to understand the interest. Golden had a winning record over three seasons with San Francisco (when he was at least in close proximity to the Warriors) and is 103-41 at Florida, with a national title and three straight NCAA Tournament appearances under his belt there.
He's also just 40 years old, has to be developmentally minded as a college coach and runs a fluid offense with lots of ball and player movement that's almost peak Warriors-like.
Oftentimes, NBA organizations seem too attached to the coaching carousel that features candidates who've failed at multiple previous stops. Golden isn't one of those coaches. And though there's a concerning history for college coaches in the NBA, there are also success stories too.
Sure, Golden could be the next Pitino or Calipari, but he might also be the next Brad Stevens.
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