Joe Lacob and the Golden State Warriors ownership group have decided to fire head coach Mark Jackson. While it wasn't necessarily unexpected, it still comes as a bit of a shock to many people who watch and follow the NBA.
With the talent the Warriors currently have on their roster, there shouldn't be a shortage of suitors for the Warriors head coaching job. The list of candidates that have been rumored to spark interest from the Warriors include TNT analyst Steve Kerr, former Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy, current University of Connecticut head coach Kevin Ollie, and current Iowa State head coach Fred Hoiberg.
Assuming these are the only options that the Warriors consider, that leaves them with some very different options. They should be very careful in deciding who to hire because the firing of Jackson now puts a lot of pressure on owner Joe Lacob and GM Bob Myers on making the right decision.
Steve Kerr has been a very hot commodity on the coaching market the past few weeks. The New York Knicks have made a hard push to sign him as their next head coach, but it was rumored that Kerr was waiting for the Warriors season to end just in case their head coaching position became available.
It's very easy to understand why Kerr has been so coveted. His knowledge of the game is remarkable, which is easily noticeable during every TNT broadcast he has been a part of. The problem for the Warriors with Kerr is that if they were to hire him as their head coach, they would be placed in the same situation they were in three years ago.
Three years ago they hired a TV analyst straight out of the broadcast booth with no coaching experience, which is exactly what they would be doing with Kerr. It takes time to gain coaching experience, which is much different than broadcasting or playing, and signing Kerr may cause the Warriors to take a step back for at least one season. For that reason only, Kerr probably isn't the best choice for the Warriors.
Another option for the Warriors would be to hire Stan Van Gundy who has plenty of coaching experience and knows how to win. He took Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals a few years back.
The problem with Van Gundy was proven at the end of his tenure with the Magic. He's not much of a player's coach, and threw his own player under the bus to the media, which is obviously a huge problem for the players.
Bringing in Van Gundy may cause a bit of a change in philosophy in the locker room, which has been so tight the past three years. Even though Van Gundy isn't necessarily a players coach, he has a lot of coaching experience and could have a very positive influence on improving the Warriors offensive flow, which was a huge problem this season.
A third option for the Warriors would be to pursue Iowa State head coach Fred Hoiberg. Hiring a college coach in the NBA is always a big risk because college basketball coaching often doesn't transition well to the NBA. This would be a huge, and probably unnecessary risk for Warriors ownership to take.
If the Warriors were to decide to hire inexperienced candidates, Kerr would probably be the sexier and more intriguing pick over Hoiberg.
Another potential college head coach the Warriors may think about pursuing is Kevin Ollie who is coming off a NCAA Championship with the Connecticut Huskies. He led the Huskies to the NCAA Championship in just his third season as head coach.
Ollie could bring in the winning attitude that the Warriors would certainly benefit from. Again though, transitioning from college basketball to the NBA is very difficult and many coaches haven't translated well. There are better options than Ollie for the Warriors.
If the Warriors were forced to pick a guy out of this group, it would probably be safest to pick Stan Van Gundy because of his experience. Knowing this new ownership group though, they would probably rather prefer hiring someone like Kerr who seems to be a prized coaching prospect at the moment. The plan may have been all along to fire Jackson if they lost to the Clippers in the first round and then make a run at Kerr.
The Warriors are under a lot of pressure to pick the right head coach after Mark Jackson did such a great job in his three seasons. This could also be a negative thing for potential suitors because they know how much pressure will be on them to win and they've seen how Jackson was treated.
Whatever happens, it would be best if Bob Myers and Joe Lacob make the right choice to not only please the fans and the players, but to help propel the team to new heights in future seasons.
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