Warriors News: Joe Lacob Gives Steve Kerr Massive Sideline Boost After Dejan Milojević’s Passing & Kenny Atkinson’s Departure

This year has been anything but easy for the Warriors. With their assistant coach, Dejan Milojevic, suddenly passing away in January, their year began with heavy emotional turmoil. Then, failing to make the postseason, Stephen Curry and Co. had the fans doubting their potential to win another title. And in the last few days, not only have they lost star players like Klay Thompson and Chris Paul, but they also saw assistant coach Kenny Atkinson depart.

Following so many tough losses, Joe Lacob has finally brought a sigh of relief to Steve Kerr as he plans on adding two major pieces to the Warriors’ coaching staff. To fill the void after Atkinson’s departure, there are plans in place to add Terry Stotts and Jerry Stackhouse to Kerr’s coaching staff, as per Adrian Wojnarowski. Amassing nearly three decades of coaching experience in the league, Stotts will take over as the lead assistant, while Stackhouse will soon join as an assistant.

Stackhouse, who spent 18 years as a player, is a student of the game. As far as his coaching career goes, he has been an assistant in Memphis and Toronto and has also spearheaded the Raptors’ G League affiliate, Raptors 905. So, that’s one diverse portfolio.

On the other hand, Stotts brings in vast leadership experience too. Initially starting his NBA coaching stint at the SuperSonics, he then moved to the Bucks. He then smoothly transitioned to the head coaching role in Atlanta and Milwaukee. But his coaching career peaked during his decade-long stint in Portland, where he made 8 straight playoff appearances, also developing Damian Lillard as a superstar. With so much combined experience, Stotts and Stackhouse will surely help Kerr in his pursuit of another title.

Kenny Atkinson begins his new journey while GSW faces uncertainty

Well, the Warriors wouldn’t have had to go through this trouble if Kenny Atkinson hadn’t moved out. Spending the last 3 seasons as an assistant, he helped GSW win a championship too. But despite a pretty successful tenure, Atkinson chose to leave because he got a Head Coaching offer from the Cavs. Maybe some of it also had to do with his previous HC gig with the Nets, where he proved his mettle as the leader.

With the firing of J.B. Bickerstaff, the Cleaveland side had been searching for a new leader for months. And their search officially ended after Atkinson accepted a 5-year deal. “I am thrilled and honored to be named head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. This is an incredible opportunity to lead an already talented young roster with an equally bright future,” Atkinson said.

And hopefully, he will be able to lead the team further than Bickerstaff did this season. Meanwhile, on the other hand, the Warriors hope for their new staff to bring the kind of resilience and leadership Atkinson and Milojevic once brought to the team. However, the voids in that roster just seem so big to fill at the moment, especially after Klay Thompson’s departure.

The latest reports have Lauri Markkanen linked to the Bay Area after the franchise acquired Kyle Anderson on a $27 million deal.

Before you go, do not forget to check out what Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato has to say about the alleged Shaq and Kobe Lakers beef. Keep checking this space for more such updates.