Can the Warriors win without Kerr?

The Golden State Warriors could be without their head coach, Steve Kerr, for the rest of the postseason. Can they win without him?

The Golden State Warriors have had one of the most incredible three year runs in NBA history. They won a championship in 2015, broke the single-season wins record in 2016, and are the favorites to win the title in 2017. They have also created one of the best environments in professional sports.

This shift happened when Steve Kerr agreed to become the Warriors’ coach during the summer of 2014. He’s completely changed the culture, ridding the Warriors of toxic behavior and creating a positive environment. The only thing that exceeds the level of success Kerr’s Warriors have seen is the level of joy that they play with.

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A few weeks after hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy for the first time as a head coach, Kerr underwent back surgery in June 2015. It is now April 2017 and he is still dealing with issues from that surgery. There was a spinal fluid leak that has caused him to suffer for the better part of two years.

Kerr missed a little more than half the season last year. Luke Walton took the helm and led the team to a 39-4 record. He came back and finished off the dream regular season and had his team a few baskets away from being back-to-back champions.

The migraines and the nausea and the dizziness never went away–he just learned to deal with it. There were better days, but the side effects of surgery’s complications still bothered him on a regular basis. They have gotten worse over the course of the last few days and he is out indefinitely.

Kerr missed Game 3 against the Portland Trailblazers. He announced that he will miss the rest of the opening round. During his media availability, he also left open the possibility that he could miss the rest of the postseason.

He said that he wouldn’t return to the sidelines unless he knew that he could stay there. Kerr doesn’t want to be in and out of games, disrupting the team’s flow. Mike Brown will take over during his absence.

Kerr, despite his flaws, is a really good coach. A collection of talent as great as Golden State’s wouldn’t thrive without a system that maximized them. So can they win without him?

The Warriors can definitely win a series or two without Kerr. They should finish off Portland and the second round should also be in their favor. If they can get their team healthy, then the Warriors would have a significant advantage over either potential second round opponent, especially the Los Angeles Clippers.

A deeper run in the playoffs could become problematic if Kerr isn’t on the sidelines. The San Antonio Spurs and the Houston Rockets each boast one of the game’s best and brightest coaches in the Association. Gregg Popovich and Mike D’Antoni are armed with MVP candidates and can coach their respective teams to victory.

Of course, the NBA Finals would be a doozy. It seems pretty safe to say that the Cleveland Cavaliers will be coming out of the East. If the Warriors were to meet them for the third time in a row, they’ll need all hands on deck.

Kerr brings more to the team than what the cameras catch. It’s more than just drawing up an out-of-bounds play or making substitutions. While those are very important, he’s also a calming presence. He balances Draymond Green’s intensity with his poise, but he also can light a fire under his players if he needs to.

Part of what makes Kerr’s Golden State tenure so special thus far is that it can run on auto-pilot. Even though Walton did an incredible job last season, it was the base that Kerr laid that made them go. He created the championship culture.

So, in that sense, they could still be fine. They have a great system in place on both ends of the floor. They have plenty of experience. It also doesn’t hurt to have Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Green.

Brown was the head coach on a team that made the Finals. He lead a young LeBron James and the 2007 Cleveland Cavaliers to the championship series where were swept by the Spurs. Brown has head coaching experience so he’s probably more prepared than Walton was, especially during high-pressure situations.

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Walton seemed to lose control of the teams at time. It’s like when a substitute teacher fills in and the students try to see how much they can get away with. The team, at times, lost focus and got caught up in trying to do too much.

So there’s no real way of figuring out what Brown’s Warriors will look like until we actually see them. Winning a championship is hard. Doing so without your coach just makes it even harder.

The Warriors have their work cut out for them if Kerr can’t return to the bench.