How the Warriors’ summer of discovery shaped the franchise’s greatness originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Warriors were not long ago a microscopic speck on the national sports scene with a loyal but seemingly cursed fan base. Their rise to a global phenomenon and the most valuable team in the NBA, however, is the most astonishing thing in recent American sports.
It was only 10 summers ago that the Warriors went from slow and steady to fast and steep, all the way to the top, largely because the core members of the franchise were furious.
Golden State CEO Joe Lacob was irritated with his coach, Mark Jackson, and replaced him with Steve Kerr in May 2014.
The players, led by Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala, were initially unenthusiastic about the coaching change, as Jackson had led Golden State to its best two-year run in 22 years. They were also unanimously outraged after a seven-game loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in a turbulent first-round NBA playoff series.
“We’ve fought so hard this whole series, this whole season,” Curry said after the Warriors were eliminated. “It stings.”
The intensity of that series — there was a postgame confrontation after Game 7 at Staples Center — was a fuse that stuck with the Warriors all summer, through training camp, throughout the season and into the 2015 playoffs.
Curry had already blossomed into a star. Klay Thompson had become a potent two-way weapon. Draymond Green realized he was a legitimate impact player. Veterans Andrew Bogut and Iguodala were convinced the Warriors were poised to become championship contenders.
Kerr was hired 11 days after the Warriors fired him. Two months later, general manager Bob Myers signed free agent Shaun Livingston, giving the team a third productive guard behind Curry and Thompson. In mid-September, Myers followed Kerr’s recommendation to sign free agent Leandro Barbosa as the fourth guard.
Kerr, a first-time coach, smoothed the transition by coaching Golden State’s Summer League team in Las Vegas and arranging one-on-one meetings with veterans. He even went to Australia to visit Bogut.
“That was huge,” Bogut told NBC Sports Bay Area in 2019. “I can tell you, not many coaches would do that.”
Kerr flew to Seattle to observe Seahawks coach Pete Carroll’s approach to an NFL training camp. Kerr stole Carroll’s use of music to lighten moods, allowing players to take turns being the DJ for the day.
Committed to preparation and knowing the culture he wanted to build with the Warriors, Kerr was ready for his first training camp. His top assistants – Alvin Gentry on offense, Ron Adams on defense – were respected 60-plus veterans with plenty of experience.
Within days, the Warriors, sweating on the beat and seeing positive results in real time, were fully engaged. Still stung by their quick elimination from the playoffs, they saw paths to improvement and quickly embraced the new regime.
The confidence built by back-to-back playoff appearances—and the fervent belief that both runs should have been extended—was bolstered by a level of certainty they had never known in the NBA. That, coupled with their collective inner rage, led to the creation of a dynasty.
“I inherited a really good team, smart and talented,” Kerr told NBC Sports Bay Area in May. “They had developed a defensive foundation under Mark Jackson, so we tried to build on that. Alvin knows the offense and we made some changes there.
“But I also know I had the benefit of great timing.”
Kerr’s out-of-the-box ideas—the music, batting practice at the Coliseum, trips to the bowling alley and more—were unifying tools. They also helped veterans digest such heavy lifting as “boring” fundamental drills.
Fueled by playoff heartbreak and diving into the new toys generated by the offense, the Warriors won 21 of their first 23 games, including 16 in a row. The joy of winning was amplified by the joy of the process. They went from good to great.
Kerr’s connection to his squad eased what could have been a difficult moment. When starting power forward David Lee, a Lacob favorite and Golden State’s first All-Star in 16 years in 2013, suffered a hamstring injury in the final preseason game, Green stepped in to take over.
Ten years, six NBA Finals and four championships later, Draymond is still the team’s starting power forward.
Golden State, which 15 years ago was BC (Before Curry) and was consistently shunned by free agents, is now a role model for the league and one of the five most valuable American sports franchises.
The Warriors’ next trick is to maintain their exalted status. That will be a tall order, considerably more difficult than the journey there.
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