Kerr shakes up Warriors coaching staff with two experienced additions Originally appeared in NBC Bay Area Sports
Warriors coach Steve Kerr arrived last week with two vacancies on his team. They were officially filled on Mondaywith veteran coach Terry Stotts and former NBA All-Star Jerry Stackhouse coming to Golden State.
Both are expected to join Kerr on the frontcourt, with Kris Weems remaining with the team and filling the third and final spot, according to multiple league sources. Weems was promoted to the frontcourt last summer after Jama Mahlalela accepted a job with the Toronto Raptors.
The additions move longtime assistant Bruce “Q” Fraser, known primarily for his close affiliation with team superstar Stephen Curry, back to the second bench after three seasons in charge.
Stotts, 66, has 13 years of head coaching experience, most recently during nine seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers. After two seasons out of the NBA, he returned last summer as an assistant to rookie coach Adrian Griffin with the Milwaukee Bucks. Discord between the two led to Stotts resigning a week before the start of the season.
Stotts effectively takes over the top assistant position that was vacated last week when Kenny Atkinson accepted the job as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Stackhouse, 49, is a two-time All-Star who transitioned into coaching after retiring in 2013. He spent three seasons coaching with the Raptors, the last two as head coach of their G League team. He then spent one year (2018-19) as an assistant under J.B. Bickerstaff with the Memphis Grizzlies before leaving to become head coach at Vanderbilt. He spent five seasons with the Commodores but was fired after they went 9-23 last season.
Stackhouse’s place on the staff was created by sudden death Assistant coach Dejan “Deki” Milojević was replaced in February by the backup. Milojević, who worked almost exclusively with Golden State’s centers, was among the assistants on the bench.
Kerr initially did not anticipate any substantial staff changes, but once it became apparent that Atkinson would be leaving, he decided to hire two coaches who had previous head coaching experience.
With Stotts’ vast experience and Stackhouse’s tenacious attitude, the general reaction is that the Warriors should have a stronger staff next season.