Report: Alvin Gentry agrees to join Warriors coaching staff

Confirmed by Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports, Alvin Gentry has agreed three-year deal, joining the Golden State Warriors coaching staff as associate head coach.

Prior to accepting the Warriors position, Alvin Gentry had been involved in several coaching searches. The Los Angles Lakers, Utah Jazz, and Cleveland Cavaliers had all considered Gentry for a head coaching position, while the Sacramento Kings and Warriors offered Gentry a seat on the bench as associate head coach. In the end, it seems Gentry chose the best destination in regards to roster build, finances and personal comfort.

A seasoned NBA presence, Alvin Gentry joined the coaching ranks in 1989 under Larry Brown in San Antonio. Following his two seasons with the Spurs, the last season under now-five time NBA champion Gregg Popovich, Gentry joined the Los Angeles Clippers in 1991. The following season, Gentry would head to the Miami Heat where he’d be given his first chance as head coach, gaining the interim tag following the firing of Kevin Loughery. From there, Gentry would spend time in Detroit, San Antonio, and Los Angeles before finding himself on the Phoenix Suns bench under Mike D’Antoni.

When the Phoenix Suns fired Terry Porter in 2009, Steve Kerr, then-general manager of the franchise, chose Alvin Gentry to fill in as the interim head coach. Following the interim season, Gentry was hired full-time for the position. When Kerr stepped down as general manager of the Suns prior to the 2010-11 season, he had some great words in regards to Alvin Gentry, enough to show how close the two are and how their relationship may have impacted Gentry’s signing.

“There are a lot of relationships that are very important,” said Kerr following Phoenix’s time as general manager.  “That’s a big one. … Given where we were when he took over, I feel like I owe everything to him, the job he did to resurrect this team. He’s the guy who returned this team to our rightful place.”

In Los Angeles, Gentry was tasked with the job of tinkering the Clippers offense, improving it both technically and aesthetically. And based on the results, you can say Gentry’s work was well done. Last season, Los Angeles finished with best offensive rating in the NBA at 109.4, up from 107.7 in 2012-13 while pushing at an above-average pace of 98.39, up from 93.56 in 2012-13.

With the Warriors, Gentry will likely be asked to do the same. As a first-year head coach, its unclear what exactly Steve Kerr brings to the table, making the decision to bring in proven veteran for the associate head coach position easy. With Gentry and Kerr’s relationship dating back to Phoenix, the two will be expected to have a relationship similar to that of Lawrence Frank and Jason Kidd, prior to the blowup that led to the dismissal of Frank.

As reported yesterday, Brooklyn Nets assistant coach Lawrence Frank remains a candidate for associate head coach in Los Angeles.

UPDATE (06/20, 12:23 PM):

When Marc Spears confirmed Alvin Gentry’s move to Golden State, he sited money as a huge reason why Gentry made the change, with Golden State giving Gentry double of what he made in Los Angeles. According to Brad Turner of the LA Times, the deal was worth ~$800,000.