The Golden State Warriors will be losing assistant coach Chris DeMarco when he becomes the head coach of the New York Liberty in the WNBA, with his departure bringing about an uncomfortable conversation regarding head coach Steve Kerr.
DeMarco wasn't necessarily thought of as an heir apparent to Kerr or anything like that, but with the head coach being in the final year of his contract with the Warriors, it's only natural to speculate about what the future could look like him.
Warriors have to contemplate a future without Steve Kerr
Even since Kerr became the head coach of the Warriors back in 2014, the team has seen an incredible run of success. The Warriors have reached the NBA Finals six times under his leadership, taking home the title on four occasions.
Of course, Kerr was entering a pretty great situation as he inherited a roster with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala all close to, or in their prime. His predecessor Mark Jackson and general manager Bob Myers helped lay the foundation for the team's success, but Kerr was able to help the team get over the hump.
Kerr's been the head coach for so long that it's difficult to imagine him not in the role. Sure, he takes his fair share of incoming and is not above criticism, but he still has to be thought of as one of the better coaches in the NBA even if he was gifted one of the greatest shooters of all time in Curry.
But the Warriors have to think about who could possibly succeed him if and when he does decide to step down. They could turn to an internal option with an assistant coach like Terry Stotts or Jerry Stackhouse, or perhaps try to shake things up by going with an external option.
On the latest episode of the Dubs Talk podcast, the hosts speculated that the team could maybe go with an out-of-left-field hire like Todd Golden who is currently the head coach of the men's basketball team at the University of Florida, and who led the Gators to a national championship earlier this year with standout Warriors rookie Will Richard on the team.
The San Francisco Giants just hired a coach straight from the college ranks, so maybe the Warriors could take a page from their book.
It's awkward and a bit weird to think about the Warriors without Kerr, but with an assistant coach leaving and the 6-year-old in the final year of his contract, Golden State have to be having these discussions internally if he chooses not to return.