The Golden State Warriors are embarking on a coaching search which may end up defining the franchise for the rest of this decade. The choice is a critical one for owner Joe Lacob, and we here at Chat Sports will be keeping you up-to-date on his decision-making process until the hire is finally made official.
5. Mike Dunleavy Sr.
It's most likely that Dunleavy is just a name to fill the Warriors' interview list. However, if Warriors' management truly wants to go in a diametrically opposite direction from that of the brash, self-assured Mark Jackson, hiring a company man who has been around the league for what seems like eons may be the way to go.
4. Lionel Hollins
Hollins has the pedigree to take the seeds of a great defensive team which were planted by Mark Jackson and his cache of assistants, and help them grow into a team defense that will cause division and conference foes alike to groan each time the Dubs show up on their schedule. Hollins can be just as much of a fighter as Jackson was when it comes to management, so ownership will have to make sure that there is a solid line of communication constructed before beginning the Lionel-era by the Bay.
3. Steve Kerr
It's time to choose, Steve. Do you want to enter the talent vortex in the Big Apple in order to be close to your basketball guru, Phil Jackson? Or do you want to inherit a championship-level squad that is just a few structural and game-planning building blocks away from perching itself atop a treacherous Western Conference mountain? It doesn't seem like a hard choice, but hey...if you really think that highly of Raymond (cough) Felton and J.R. Smith...by all means, head to New York.
2. Mike D'Antoni
Uh oh.
That is all.
1. Stan Van Gundy
Ladies and gentleman -- this is the perfect pick if you really think about it. He's brash and outspoken enough to follow in the footsteps of Mark Jackson. However, he's system-oriented enough to refine the Warriors' offense in such a way as to eliminate their dependance on isolation-heavy attack schemes. He knows how to develop players, and may be the best thing that could ever happen to Harrison Barnes' career. Both Van Gundy and the Warriors have expressed mutual interest, so we may be close to a very new and fun time in Dubs basketball.