Four and a half years ago, Steve Kerr made the decision to turn down the New York Knicks and join the Golden State Warriors as head coach. At the time, the decision shocked the Knicks, who ultimately hired Derek Fisher instead.
Now, the Knicks are preparing to search for their fourth permanent head coach since Kerr turned them down. Kerr, meanwhile, won an NBA title in his first year with Golden State, his first of three championships with Golden State.
Kerr knows it could have been different. In light of the Knicks’ firing of David Fizdale on Friday, Kerr said that he’d have been fired three years ago had he taken the job in New York instead.
"Yeah, if I had gone to New York that would've been me like 3 years ago, Steve Kerr said. "I'm well aware of that."
Kerr almost took the job the year the Knicks hired Derek Fisher. https://t.co/Quw9bxy3vy— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) December 6, 2019
Kerr is almost certainly correct. At the time, the Knicks were run by Phil Jackson, who was a total failure as team president. With roster decisions being made at that level, Kerr never would have had a chance in New York. It demonstrates how a talented roster can make a coach’s reputation, no matter how good or bad that coach may be.
It was reported at the time that the Warriors, when recruiting Kerr, had reminded him how badly previous established coaches had fared under Knicks owner James Dolan. That trend has continued, and it’s safe to say that Warriors were completely correct to point it out.
