Steve Kerr is a man of many talents.
Nine NBA titles have been won by him, five during his 15-year playing career and four during his ten-year coaching tenure with the Warriors. He also never backs down from a challenge.
One can speculate as to Kerr’s biggest strength after looking at what the 58-year-old has accomplished. Bob Myers, the former president of basketball operations and general manager of the Golden State Warriors, provided his response in an interview with “Steiny and Guru” on 95.7 The Game on Tuesday.
“His poise,” Myers said to Daryle Johnson and Matt Steinmetz. “I say that because I experienced [the 2015 NBA playoffs] with your coach firsthand, and as the season progresses and the postseason approaches, the poise in the huddle and the leadership around your coach become increasingly apparent.” Everyone believes they will be alright in these high-stress situations, telling themselves, “I’m built for this.” I have no idea what that even implies. Few people are made to handle that level of pressure. For me, to see Steve’s elegance in ’15, to stroll by him—clearly, I wasn’t teaching or doing anything—
Myers spoke highly of Kerr’s poise and self-assurance during the Warriors’ historic run to the 2015 NBA Finals, which marked the start of a decade-long dynasty.
During that run, Golden State turned a new page in their history as Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, headed by then-rookie coach Steve Kerr, defeated LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to win the first of four titles in eight seasons.
Myers expressed his utmost confidence in Kerr’s coaching abilities and reaffirmed it in 2015. However, the former front office employee was also struck by Kerr’s spectacular performances as a player.
Like a happy fan, Myers said, “I mean, this is a guy that hit a huge shot with Michael Jordan passing him the ball.” “I would have destroyed that thing. It truly takes bravery to perform as well as he did as a player.
“It was amazing to see Steve lead so composedly during the playoffs for both the organization and me. I believe that when players reach the finals, everything becomes more serious. When players who had never been there before look in Steve’s eyes during huddles, shootarounds, or the finals, I believe that nobody is better than Steve at saying, ‘Okay,'” That’s what we are going to do. And you accept him. He’s been there, so you trust him when he says things.
Because of his extensive basketball background, Kerr has consistently gained his players’ trust as a coach when things become tough. The cherry on top of Myers’ argument is his reference of Kerr’s ice-cold game-winning 3-pointer in Game 6 of the 1997 NBA Finals, which was assisted by Jordan.
Basketball coaches all around the NBA struggle to match Kerr’s poise. However, Myers still needed to give the player-turned-coach more credit.
Myers said, “And [Kerr has] the strength of character.” If I were to be self-centered, I would say that finding a spouse who is respectable and pleasant to be around all the time is difficult. Coaches are a diverse group of guys. It was therefore astounding to have someone of such high caliber in my life.
The Warriors partnered with Myers and Kerr for almost ten years. Together, they changed Golden State and the NBA and accomplished a tremendous deal as friends and colleagues.
Maybe none of it would have happened if Kerr hadn’t been so calm.
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