Would it be surprising if I told you Steve Kerr believes in the Bulls rebuild? When Steve Kerr usurped Mark Jackson as coach of the Golden State Warriors it was in a word, surprising, wasn’t it? Coming off a season in which the Dubs won 51 games, Mark Jackson seemed primed for plenty of future success in Golden State. Mark Jackson was fiery and hungry. He paced along the sidelines, sweat collecting around his collar. At times the passion seen in his eyes could trick the mind into believing he was wearing an Indiana Pacers jersey (or Knicks jersey for that matter) in one of those storied seven game “Reggie Miller the Knick Killer” series of the rough and tumble 90’s.
Then it all faded in humble realization. The Warriors were not great.
They were first round losers.
May 15th, 2014 that all changed. We didn’t know it at the time, but Steve Kerr would take those young Warriors and turn them (namely Steph Curry) into modern day assassins. And really, who better to lead the “Splash Brothers?” In his time, Steve Kerr was one of the most respected 3-point sharpshooters in the game. He understood their game, believed in their style. All Curry and Klay Thompson needed was the right mentor– an Obi Wan Kenobi of sorts.
Kerr was their guy– Obi Wan Kerr-Nobi.
In the Warriors’ case, the right coach was their missing piece. Steve Kerr knew how to win. He had done it in San Antonio, and most notably, he had done it in Chicago. As far as rebuilds go, serving as general manager of the Phoenix Suns from 2007-09, he knew about those too.
The Bulls aren’t remotely in the same boat as a 51 win Warriors team, but the Warriors story is much longer than that. The Warriors rebuilt for 20 years before they found Kerr and made it to the promised land. Hopefully the rebuild in Chicago doesn’t take anywhere near that long. Hopefully Kerr’s faith in this frustrating process is not misguided.
Kerr believes in the Bulls rebuild
In regards to the Chicago Bulls, well, they have A LOT of holes to fill– coach included perhaps. Be that as it may, Kerr believes his former team is on the right track.
“This league, it goes in cycles,” Kerr said. “The Warriors made the playoffs once in 20 years before our current cycle over the last five years that we’ve been on. It’s not easy to build a winner in this league, and the Bulls have had a really good team over the last decade. Very competitive teams that have come close and gotten to the conference finals. So it’s just time to tear it down and start over. And I think it’s the right choice. I think they’re doing the right thing, personally. I think the trade they made was a good one. They got some good young players. (Zach) LaVine will be coming back, and it’s a great draft coming up. I think it’s the right choice. It’s just not an easy process to go through while you’re dealing with it.”
Kerr has been through and seen a lot in his life. Not just in basketball, but in all things.
Kerr was born in Beirut, Lebanon, and spent most of his childhood in the Middle East with his father, an American academic by the name of Malcolm Kerr that specialized in the area. Coming out of high school he was a relatively unknown recruit that was content with walking on to play basketball at Colorado until his father made a call to then University of Arizona coach Lute Olsen.
Just like our aforementioned hero from a galaxy far-far-away, Kerr was a desert dweller. Full of intellect and even more self doubt– Kerr would overcome his obstacles to find success and become the basketball wizard he is today. He is learned; tried and true.
Long story short, if he signs off on the Bulls rebuild, so do I. Here’s to hoping it can happen quickly.
