Santa Cruz Warriors General Manager Kent Lacob and Head Coach Aaron Miles discussed how the success of the Golden State Warriors has affected (and will continue to affect) everyone associated with the Sea Dubs.
Second discussion topic: Behind the scenes routines during Dubs title run
On Thursday, we discussed what Santa Cruz Warriors head coach Aaron Miles and general manager Kent Lacob had to say about Quinn Cook winning an NBA title with the Golden State Warriors.
Today, we’ll talk about what responsibilities Miles and Lacob had to take care of while working alongside Golden State’s postseason staff.
For a first-time head coach like Miles, going back to being an assistant coach on Steve Kerr‘s staff wasn’t too difficult a transition. Some eagle-eyed fans may have noticed the former Golden State guard sitting behind Kerr for most of the postseason, where he helped provide the staff with a different coaching perspective.
Miles appreciated the opportunity, noting his respect for Kerr’s openness to receiving suggestions from his entire staff.
"“It was a very humbling and unbelievable experience for myself. For Coach Kerr, Bob Myers and the organization to open up their arms and allow me to participate the way they did and be involved, I feel truly blessed. It was a hell of an opportunity,” said Miles.“For me, I get up there and I was able to sit in at all the coaches’ meetings, provide suggestions if I felt, and I think that’s something that was special about Steve….”"
In addition to being able to vocalize his concerns and help strategize for games, Miles was also given the opportunity to get back to his roots as a player, practicing alongside the team as part of the scout squad.
As a former pass-first point guard, it wasn’t difficult for him to step into the shoes of a couple of Golden State’s opposing backcourt players.
"“The first series, I might have played Dejounte Murray, and then the second series, I think I was (Rajon) Rondo for a little bit — which is pretty fitting for me.”“Playing the scout team was fun. I hate to say it, but the pride in me wanted me to be a little more productive out there haha. I wasn’t as productive as I would have liked to have been,” Miles said, laughing."
As for Lacob, while he may not have been as involved with the Dubs’ on-court success, he continued to do his job as part of the organization’s front office staff, helping to scout draft prospects that fans could possibly see on GSW’s Summer League squad and beyond.
"“Most of our top executive front office — Bob Myers, Kirk Lacob, Larry Harris — they had to be focused on the task at hand, which was the current playoff run; and that sort of opened the door for me to take on a larger role with the draft preparation.”“The NBA world doesn’t stop for us just because we’re still playing basketball. The draft is (a few) days from now, and there’s a lot that goes into the preparation.”"
Lacob also mentioned there are a few returning Santa Cruz Warriors player who could possibly be featured on the Summer League roster, in addition to draft prospects who the team will pick up should any of them go undrafted.
Next: Miles and Lacob discuss Quinn Cook winning an NBA title
Sea Dubs fans should look forward to the Warriors’ rather busy summer, during which they’ll not only play in the Las Vegas Summer League, but also in the Sacramento Summer League.