Despite being rivals, Steve Kerr has the utmost respect for his former mentor, San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.
Now that he's a head coach himself with the Golden State Warriors, Kerr has a better understanding of what it takes to maintain a winning culture within a franchise. He now knows how difficult it has been for the Spurs to remain successful the past 20 years.
When asked what he thinks Popovich has brought to their organization, Kerr talked about only had good words. He even went as far as calling him one of the top coaches in NBA history.
“You have to have great character with your players. That’s why the Spurs have been able to do it. You go from David Robinson, to Tim Duncan, (Tony) Parker and (Manu) Ginobili, now Kawhi Leonard. You’ve got a lot of high character people and a phenomenal coach. One of the top few coaches ever in the history of the sport, it’s a pretty good combination. I’m sure Pop will tell you it’s not easy maintaining that level so I’m proud of our guys for doing it for three years. They've been doing it for twenty years, it's incredible.”
The Warriors may still have a long way to go before matching what the Spurs have accomplished, but with two consecutive trips to the NBA Finals, and a record-breaking season last year, Kerr and his squad are definitely on the right track.
This season, they are once again off to a fast start and are leading the league with a 31-5 record, but three strong campaigns will not be enough to be considered one of the best franchises in NBA history. To match the Spurs, the Warriors need to find a way to turn instant success into a long term dynasty.
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