After the Golden State Warriors saw their season end last night after a loss to the Phoenix Suns, the attention now turns to the team's future. The most pressing issue at hand is the future of head coach Steve Kerr and there is certainly a chance that he may decide to retire after 12 years of leading the franchise.
The emotional embrace between Kerr, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green towards the end of the game made the reality of Kerr's potential departure sink in. There is obviously a chance he will come back, but with the way he has talked about it, he's certainly leaving the door open to his exit.
If Kerr did decide to step away, that would probably have a ripple effect. The Warriors could move on from Draymond Green and may even get rid of some other veteran players. The one untouchable is Curry and with how elite he still is on the court, the Warriors would be wise to try to maximize whatever he still has left in the tank.
That's why it would be so hard to replace Kerr. He's easily one of the best coaches in the game and knows how to manage the ups and downs of a long season while also getting the most out of a team in the playoffs.
The Warriors cannot just plug in some inexperienced coach and hope for the best which is why Doc Rivers may be the only guy who can replace Kerr if he does indeed decide to step away.
Warriors may have to turn to Doc Rivers if Steve Kerr departs
It would be a controversial move to say the least. While Rivers is respected by many in basketball and has an extensive coaching career, his recent track record has not been very strong. While he's presided over a lot of very solid teams in the regular season between the Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks, he hasn't had much to speak of in terms of playoff success.
He won an NBA title nearly twenty years ago as head coach of the Boston Celtics, but since then he has been marred by his teams choking in the postseason repeatedly.
Rivers was just fired as the head coach in Milwaukee after a 32-50 record and reportedly had a difficult relationship with players in the locker room. Even with that, Rivers is respected and may be the only guy who could walk into the locker room and immediately command the respect of Curry or Jimmy Butler.
Rivers has said publicly that he's done with coaching after getting ousted in Milwaukee, but the opportunity to coach Curry may be too alluring to turn down.
Fans wouldn't like it and it may not turn out great, but there are not going to be many great options for the Warriors if Kerr decides to leave, meaning Rivers may be their best option if they are still trying to win and don't want to tear it all down and start over just yet.
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