OAKLAND, Calif. -- Alvin Gentry was hired as the New Orleans Pelicans head coach while he was still a Golden State Warriors assistant, embroiled in the NBA Finals. At the time, Steve Kerr joked about the advantage of having "two head coaches" at once. Now, another Warriors lead assistant is off to greener (as in money) pastures, this time with Luke Walton taking the Lakers job.
Kerr was instrumental in Walton’s advancement. Not just because Kerr hired him, but because he backed him when faced with organizational pressure.
Ownership was more than open to replacing Gentry with an experienced coach, but Kerr used his political capital to invest in a 35-year-old Walton.