Steve Kerr: A Better Coach than General Manager
By Eric He
I’ll never forget what Steve Kerr said when he traded for Shaquille O’Neal back in 2008 as General Manager of the Phoenix Suns, giving up Shawn Marion in the process: “I’m either a genius or an idiot.”
Even though the Suns were a conference-best 34-14 at the time, chemistry could have been better and Kerr decided to the dice, seemingly swinging wildly and hoping to just make contact.
He missed badly. The Suns were eliminated in the first round that season, missed the playoffs entirely the next, and lost in the conference finals in 2010 before Kerr said goodbye to a front office job for good.
“This has nothing to do with money or contracts or anything like that,” Kerr said at the time. “This is a professional and a personal decision that I’m very, very comfortable with. My family’s excited about it, too.”
Personally, Kerr wanted to spend more time with his kids. But professionally, General Manager was probably not the best job for Kerr.
A GM’s job is to manage the team, but they are ultimately detached and uninvolved in the nitty-gritty, day-to-day operations. They are not emotionally connected with the players; rather, they evaluate them as the man sitting above, pondering trades and roster subtraction. Watch any scene from Moneyball to get a sense of just how cold an executive is.
November 5, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Clippers 121-104. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
A coach, in many forms, is the antithesis of a GM. He is involved in every facet of day-to-day operations. He forms connections with the players both professionally and personally. He has to emotionally attach himself to the team and endear himself as a trustworthy coach.
Kerr, in my opinion, is much better suited for the latter role. Sure he may have been half-decent at staring at the roster through a paper and moving players around, but Kerr has proven to be incredibly good at coaching.
On the basketball side, he is as good a communicator as there is. He understands each player’s strengths and weaknesses and coaches to their strengths. That the Warriors were among the league’s elite in both offense and defense last season was no fluke — it was Kerr creating a near-flawless system that was so beautiful in so many ways.
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On a personal level, Kerr just gets “it.” Calm, cool, and collected, he knows exactly what to do at exactly the right time. He values his players not only as athletes, but also as friends and people. He is open to opinions from anyone — even little-known “special assistants” advising a pivotal adjustment in the NBA Finals. His dry sense of humor and all-around fun personality adds to the positive vibe he brings to the locker room, a vibe that is contagious. Kerr truly has no ego, another trait that seeped through to last year’s team.
While the Warriors had a talented roster, there is no question that the hiring of Kerr propelled them from mere contender to NBA champion. With his prowess in being both a quality human being and coach, Kerr effectively guided the Warriors through a dream season and set himself up for a potential legendary career as a head coach.
In retrospect, perhaps it was for the best that Kerr traded for Shaq and that it was a bust. Perhaps it made him realize that sitting in the press box, wildly swinging at trades to work out wasn’t exactly his calling. He’s surely found that calling now — on the bench, yelling instructions and arguing with referees rather than worrying about cutting players to clear cap space.
And for the record, yes, Steve Kerr is a genius.