What If Van Gundy Chose Golden State?
After firing Mark Jackson – the man who took the Golden State Warriors to the playoffs for the second year in a row, the Warriors upper management had a very tough task. They had to find a coach who would evaluate and solve the problems from the previous season. Most importantly, the new head coach couldn’t by any means make the team worse. Imagine the backlash if the next head coach was worse than the coach who helped change the culture in the Bay Area.
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The Warriors never publicly named a top target, and claimed they were keeping their options open. Names swirled and the two biggest were Stan Van Gundy and Steve Kerr. As the offseason progressed, it seemed more and more likely that the Warriors were going to miss out on Kerr, who planned on reuniting with former coach Phil Jackson in New York. But hey, who needs a guy with no coaching experience? The Dubs already tried that and once is enough, right? It was essentially a done deal.
As wooing Kerr became seemingly more hopeless, Joe Lacob and co. decided to turn their attention to Van Gundy. Van Gundy, an experienced coach, was a viable option. He almost seemed like a safe bet. Consistently in the playoffs, he was familiar with winning and it’s hard to imagine that the team would collapse under him. Both parties had a mutual interest in each other; it looked like a probability that SVG would coach Golden State.
Of course, Van Gundy ended up choosing the Detroit Pistons because they offered him full control of all basketball decisions. What followed was that Kerr rejected Jackson and the Knicks in favor of the Golden State Warriors. It’s been well discussed and documented how beautiful the marriage between Kerr and the Warriors has been. On the other hand, the Pistons are not really in the playoff picture in the East. Despite struggling with injuries and roster turnover, the Pistons have had stretches of good basketball. But both teams are headed in different directions: the Warriors have championship aspirations while Detroit is trying to amass talent and build chemistry.
But what if Van Gundy had chosen Golden State?
One of the most pressing issues during the offseason was the Klay Thompson/Kevin Love trade. Would Van Gundy have publicly supported Thompson as much as Kerr did? It’s interesting to think about when you remember that in Orlando, Van Gundy relied on a stretch four in Hedo Turkoglu. Offensively, Love is arguably the top stretch four in the NBA today. Although the trade may not have happened, it’s possibly Van Gundy would have lost Thompson’s trust which could have become problematic come contract extension negotiation time.
Mar 9, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson sticks out his tongue as he reacts in the second quarter against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Throughout his career, Van Gundy has found success with great centers, namely Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard. The teams he put together were built around a franchise big man. The Warriors, on the other hand, are lead by their finesse backcourt. Not to say that Van Gundy can’t work with guards, but it would be a different challenge.
Personality-wise, Kerr and Van Gundy seem to oppose each other. The Warriors’ success is largely due to the fact that there is a unique team wide camaraderie. Kerr and Stephen Curry regularly compete in free throw shooting contests. Overall, there is a great respect and atmosphere between the easygoing Kerr and his players. Van Gundy, on the other hand, has a very strong personality. He’s sometimes clashed with those around him including Howard and Pat Riley. Though all the Warriors players seem pretty amicable and relaxed, it’s reasonable to assume that perhaps Van Gundy would have butted heads with one or two of the Dubs.
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Overall, the team would look much different. Kerr brought in ideas from his former coaches like Lenny Wilkens, Greg Popvich, and Jackson. The Warriors play great defense while attacking at a fast pace. The Warriors’ best lineups happen when they go small. Van Gundy would probably have the Warriors playing at a slower pace. The toughness would remain because well…Van Gundy is pretty tough.
Warriors fans should be grateful that Van Gundy ultimately chose Detroit over the Bay Area. Under Kerr, the Dubs have done things not seen in the history of the franchise and the NBA. Though the Warriors most likely would not be worse off than they were under Mark Jackson, it seems safe to say that they wouldn’t be as good as they are under Kerr.