Steve Kerr's return to the Golden State Warriors was made official earlier in the week, but only after a backflip from the 4x championship-winning coach that may make some fans nervous heading into next season.
In Thursday's must-read story from ESPN's Wright Thompson, it was revealed that Kerr was all but headed into retirement, only to change his mind as a result of Golden State's extraordinary first Play-In Tournament victory over the L.A. Clippers.
Steve Kerr backflip could be worrying sign for Warriors fans
You could tell that win over the Clippers was monumental, even if the Warriors still failed to make the playoffs after losing to the Phoenix Suns 48 hours later. What we didn't know until now was that the stunning fourth-quarter comeback was enough to convince Kerr that he still wanted to coach the team for at least another two years.
"I think it's over," he (Kerr) said, almost mouthing the words. His sweatsuit separated him from the businessmen eating breakfast in suits and ties nearby. He put the odds at 95 percent. In the last few days he'd grown more certain," Thompson recounted before the Clippers game.
On one hand it's thrilling and tugs at the very essence of sport that Kerr's passion was seemingly re-ignited with one victory, and no less a victory that ultimately meant very little in the context of their season.
Yet on the other hand, is it not slightly concerning that the head coach was so close to calling it quits, only to be reined back in at the last moment? There has to be some level of worry that Kerr is nearing the end, and that much like some of his veteran players, he won't be able to deliver consistently across the course of an 82-game regular season.
Steve Kerr deserves to go out with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green
As much as this development may be a concern, Kerr has clearly earned the trust of the franchise if he says he's all in and ready to make another run or two with Stephen Curry and most likely Draymond Green depending on his own contract situation this summer.
In fairness to him, this season's absence from the playoffs emanated from horror injury luck much more than questionable coaching, and Kerr shouldn't be graded too harshly as a resut of finishing 10th in the Western Conference.
However, having now missed the playoffs in four of the past seven seasons, and with this revelation that Kerr was 95% into retirement, there will be increased pressure on him if the Warriors can't make a strong start next season.
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